Road Rovers Rebooted 02: Out of the Blue
by Omnitrix 12
Summary: With Parvo laying low and the federal government up in arms, Professor Shepherd tries to get Hunter and the others used to their new lives while keeping the authorities at arm's length. But when fractures in the team and a hazardous deal put the Rovers in danger, the only ones who can save the team might just be themselves.
1. Still Adjusting

**Hello, and Merry Christmas! I want to thank everyone for their interest in my first Road Rovers story "Crash Course," and to those of you who have so kindly attended my other works as well! I wasn't actually expecting to finish this until some time next year, but work at my winter job has been especially slow, and thanks to the wi-fi proving impractical and my Skyrim problems still not being resolved (c'este la vie), I have had ample undistracted time to work on these stories for you all. I won't make promises about any kind of production rate like last time, but I'll do my best to keep this story moving.**

 **Also, a quick shout-out to a couple of artists on DA who were nice enough to set me up with some Zootopia gift art for Christmas: Ellimc and DragonSnake9989. Elimmc's work can be seen in my gallery (at his preference) under the name DragonTamer2000, and DragonSnake's is on his own gallery. Elimmc also supplied the cover art for this story.**

 **Happy reading!**

" **For every human action, there is an equal and opposite government program."**

 **Unknown**

White-haired but animated, Professor Shepherd sat in his underground study shuffling through his various notes. It had been fully three months since he had used his machine, the transfigurator, to transform five ordinary dogs into – though he could hardly say it with a straight face – superheroes. In the intervening time, he had been all but constantly busy trying to understand his new creations. Transfiguration was a new science even to him, and understanding the complex biological systems he had amalgamated from human and canine properties, enhanced to levels beyond the limits of either species, was at times too much even for him.

In an MRI machine next to him lay one of the cano-sapiens: a retriever mix named Hunter. Of the five, Hunter was easily the most amiable, often to the point of childlike absurdity. He was dressed in a blue gym shirt and red shorts at the moment, allowing a more ready physical examination.

"Are you just about done, Master?" asked Hunter.

Professor Shepherd repressed a sigh. "Yes, Hunter – and you don't have to call me Master. Professor Shepherd is fine." He studied the computer monitor before him and checked a few more details. "Yes, you can come out now."

"Oh, thanks," said Hunter, scooting out and stretching. "I was getting claustrophobic and had an itch I couldn't reach." He dropped down and scratched vigorously at a shin.

"You could have scratched it with your other foot," Shepherd reasoned.

Hunter looked stupefied for a moment, then laughed. "Oh. Duh. I'm still getting used to this."

The professor smiled, trying not to take too much amusement at Hunter's simplicity. He supposed if he had to adjust to life in a dog's body, three months wouldn't quite do it for him either. That reflection aside, he voiced the results of the MRI scan.

"It looks as though your body is adjusting well to the recent treatments," he announced. "Hopefully with proper hydration this should put a stop to the visual distortions when you exert yourself at your limits."

Hunter scratched his head. "Uh, come again?"

Professor Shepherd now had reason to reflect on his own quaintness. He sometimes forgot that he was dealing not with fellow scientists or even grown humans, but with – for all purposes – youngsters. Considering how little time they had even been equipped to speak English, he had to curb his vocabulary sometimes. "Drink enough water and your eyes shouldn't get blurry anymore when you run at top speed."

"Oh. Is that what you said?"

Smiling softly to himself, the professor nodded. "Yes. I think that should…"

He was cut off by a phone ringing on his desk; the cordless kind, as his underground base didn't get such good cell phone service. Noting the number on his caller ID, he reflected that sometimes that was a mercy.

"Something wrong?" asked Hunter, pricking his ears.

"Uhh, business call," Shepherd replied. "You can go."

"Ohhh," said Hunter. "Okay. Say hi to General Malone for me, 'kay?"

Shepherd sighed. As quaint as Hunter could be, sometimes even the most benign tact was useless with him. "I will."

When the retriever mix was gone, the man picked up the phone. "Hello, general?"

" _Hello. I assume you know why I'm calling."_ Malone's voice was crisp and blunt; consummately military with only a small trace of regret betraying any semblance of mixed feelings – or any feelings – about the conversation.

"Yes, I'm aware. They're all doing fine, by the way."

" _That's good to hear, but you know I'm calling about more than the progress of your project."_

"I do know that, and you know my answer. The cano-sapiens and the transfigurator are not going anywhere."

A sigh came through the phone line. They had danced this tango so many times they could have done it blindfolded in a minefield. _"I know, but you know I don't have much wiggle room here. It's all I can do to convince the top brass not to freeze your assets and seize your work by force."_

"I know, and I appreciate you backing me on this, but I can't trust anyone with this technology." Privately, Professor Shepherd wasn't sure he even trusted himself with the machine's godlike power, or for that matter the well-being of the creatures he had used it to make. "You already saw what could happen if even one man with the wrong intentions got hold of it."

" _Which is exactly why the government wants to have a counterweapon,"_ Malone answered with a hint of fatigue creeping into his voice. _"If something happened to you…"_

"The cano-sapiens are _not_ weapons," Shepherd insisted pointedly.

" _You know that and I know that, but Parvo's still out there,"_ Malone protested. _"He's got a power and force like we've never seen before. We need to be able to even up the score if he strikes again with a stronger army."_

This familiar debate was wearing on Shepherd's nerves. "Please tell the president that I'm thinking it over."

" _I will. I assume it would be useless to say that I convinced him to offer you a spot as head of the whole project if you give us the machine?"_

A sigh escaped the scientist. "You know that's not my main concern, but… thank you."

General Malone broke off from his usual script at this point. _"Well, I figure I owe you that much. I'll be in touch."_

"Of course you will. Oh, and Hunter says hello."

The call ended, and Professor Shepherd leaned back in his chair. He had to admit he felt rather like a hypocrite for saying the cano-sapiens weren't a weapon. In a sense, that was exactly why he made them in the first place: as a strike force against Parvo's monsters. Besides, hadn't the project begun as a military endeavor? He had exploited a loophole in the contract to wrest his research from the government – and even from his own company – when things got too hot, but he never would have gotten as far as he had without military funding and support. The truth was that deep down he still felt like a thief and a traitor at times, especially when he thought of the medical power his machine held. The ability to rebuild a living body… was it really right to withhold health from so many veterans out of fear of what someone could do?

For that matter, what _would_ happen if General Parvo – wherever he was – chose to strike again?

* * *

Not too long after, in another part of the base, Hunter decided to make use of the base's gymnasium. There he was pleased to find Colleen, his female colleague, already exercising. She was dressed in a red tank top and pink shorts, and was hard at work against a training dummy. This one was equipped with buttons corresponding to key pressure points and pain centers of a human body, and she had already broken four of those buttons.

"Hey Colleen," Hunter greeted with a cheery wave. "How's it wagging."

She glanced his way. "Well, I don't know that that's any of your business, Huntuh."

The slight rebuff puzzled Hunter, but he shrugged it off and went to one of the treadmills. He soon forgot about Colleen's apparent mood when he saw with pleasure that punching in his settings had become second nature. In less than a minute he had the treadmill starting, swiftly accelerating to his desired pace. His feet became a blur under him and his hands left the holds to let his arms pump freely. Faster and faster he ran; faster than even a greyhound could go. He had always been fast as a dog, but as a cano-sapien, _whoo!_

' _Although cano-sapien does sound kind of dumb,'_ he thought to himself. _'We're like superheroes, right? We should have cooler names.'_

In addition to gaining a better handle on their newfound powers and anatomy, Professor Shepherd had been making efforts to train the mutants in human culture. This involved a lot of classes – as he called them – but Hunter was honestly much more interested in something else placed at their disposal: movies and TV shows. His personal favorites were ones about superheroes, on which his rapid and somewhat distraction-prone mind now drew for ideas.

' _Let's see. Justice Dogs? No, that's stupid. Super Dogs? Nah. Pet Avengers is taken. What about Underdogs?'_

Perhaps he should have been more focused on his running. Out of nowhere, one of his toes rammed into the opposite heel and he literally tripped over his own feet.

"YAH!" he cried as the treadmill – whirring beneath him at about fifty-five miles an hour – shot him backwards like a rocket.

Colleen, who had carried on an unrelenting assault on her target the whole time that Hunter ran, stopped and strode over to him, slowing slightly as she came. "Need a hand up?" she asked, leaning over.

He shook his head and pressed his hands to the floor, groaning slightly. If the floor hadn't been basically one giant exercise mat as a protection against just such mishaps, he'd probably have been a total wreck. "I'm fine," he said, rising to his feet and trying not to look as pained as he was. He smiled to show he was alright… or maybe it was a grimace. He wasn't quite sure of facial expressions yet; one of several things that seemed to come and go with being a… whatever they were going to be called. They needed a better name.

"Tripped ovah your own feet again, didja?" she asked in a snarky tone that complimented her Cockney accent.

"Eh, I'm still getting used to it," he offered helplessly. "I'm just glad I didn't do that when I caught you falling off that train."

Oddly enough the memory of his saving her life seemed to annoy her. "Well, alright then," she answered with a masked huff. "Let me know if you need anything."

Hunter gazed after her. The professor had been diligent in teaching the team basic hand-to-hand combat – mostly through training videos, since few humans other than himself ever came to the base. Colleen had shown the most promise by far, dodging with dancer-like elegance and striking with surgical precision. Hunter had taken up the prospect of a sparring match with her a week before, and although she had beaten him soundly she had hardly said a kind word to him since.

 _What's up with that, anyway?_ he wondered as he went back to the treadmill and reset it. Colleen had quickly shown that she had a sharp demeanor beneath her delicate build, and in the three months the team had been together she'd gotten into the occasional argument with just about everyone. Blitz in particular seemed to chafe her – often without trying – but Hunter had never had any problems to speak of with her until that ill-fated bout.

He resolved to get to the bottom of that, but first he had to focus on his running.

* * *

Back in his office, Professor Shepherd received another call. Wearily, he picked up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, I thought you would call. A deal? Wait, what?"

Over on the other end, Malone was relating some serious news. _"I'm sorry, Professor, but it's an urgent matter and I had to give him something."_

"But they're not nearly ready. Even the best of them can hardly fly a-" Shepherd stopped as Malone pressed his news home. Supporting himself with a hand to his forehead, the professor nodded. "Alright, I'll talk with them… and thank you for trying."

* * *

Ten minutes later, a tone throughout the base heralded an announcement over the intercom. _"Attention, cano-sapiens."_

Hunter yelped a little as he lost his footing, but managed to get his feet on the immobile areas to either side of the treadmill belt.

" _Please report to the briefing room at once. You are needed."_

"Oh, cool," said Hunter brightly, shutting off the machine. "Hey, race you there."

Colleen regarded him with a 'you're kidding, right?' look as he shot out the door. Then she shook her head and followed at her own pace.

* * *

"Hey Exile!" called Hunter, zipping past the husky. "Big meeting in the break room."

"Dah, I know this," answered the husky gruffly, breaking into a jog at the sight of his racing comrade. He paused at the open door to a sort of common or rec room. Blitz was on the couch glued to a large screen on the wall.

"Blitz!" bellowed Exile, clapping his hands for attention. "Is time to move-ski! Start rushin'!"

Blitz grumbled and got up. "Fine, fine, but I was looking at some beautiful babes."

He turned off the TV, but not before Exile saw that he was watching the swimsuit part of a beauty contest. The husky's jaw fairly hit the floor.

"Blitz, comrade! You cannot have them! They are human women, remember?"

"Yah," Blitz agreed with a smile that was practically a leer, "but I bet Colleen would look fantastic dressed like dat."

Exile folded his arms. "You dreaming, Weird Boy. What makes you think Colleen likes you?"

"Oh, she likes me," he boasted, flexing his biceps and flashing a toothy grin. "How could she not when I'm so massively perfect?"

If this was supposed to impress the husky, it didn't. "Comrade, most massive thing about you is ego. Colleen would not want someone like you."

"Oh yah?" snarled Blitz, getting up in Exile's face and prodding his chest with a finger. "And what makes you such an expert on dah ladies, huh?"

"She knocked you through wall last week when you stare at her too long. It does not take expert to know more than you."

Blitz growled. "Watch it, snowball, or I'll bite you."

"Hah!" scoffed Exile. "I have better chance with Colleen than you do."

"No you don't."

"Oh yes I do."

"No you don't."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

" _No I don't."_

Blitz leaned forward until his nose was practically right up Exile's. "Listen, fluff, Colleen would nevah pick me ovah you in a hundred years."

Exile shrugged and turned to go. "Dokey-okey, comrade. Whatever you say-ski." He turned to leave, chuckling to himself, "And I thought trick only worked in cartoons."

Blitz barked out a laugh, folding his arms. "Ha! Guess I showed… HEY!"

Before Exile could even turn around the two of them were going at it hammer and tongs.

"Trick me, huh mistah funny man?"

"Is dog-man to you, Weird Boy!"

"Stop calling me dat or-"

"Hey, hey, whoa!" Hunter had doubled back to see what was keeping them, and quickly darted between the squabbling dogs. "Guys, what are you fighting over? The TV's not even on."

"He stahted it!" accused Blitz.

Exile shoved him off. "Some doggy-men can't take reality."

Hunter pushed both of them firmly apart. "Well whatever it was I'm sure there's a better answer than fighting about it. Now come on, it's chow time." Waving for them to follow, he headed off down the hall.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Blitz leaned in front of Exile as the husky moved to leave. "Okay, fluff-ball. Whoevah doesn't get her into a bathing suit first has to clean dah base for a month."

Exile brought a hand to his chin, thinking it over. "You try for that," he countered. "I think I ask her to dinner instead."

"Oh, going for the easy one?" Blitz scoffed.

"Well, if you are not confident-"

"Oh, I am totally competent," the Doberman cut him off. "Fine, I can get her to dah pool before you get her to dinner anyway. Whoevah doesn't date her first cleans dah base for _two_ months."

A cool smile settled on Exile's muzzle. "Toilets too-ski?"

Blitz nodded and raised two fingers. "Oh yah, toilets double."

Exile scoffed. _If Weird Boy can do it at all, I'll eat my toothbrush._ "Is smartest _and_ dumbest thing you say all week-ski. Deal."

They shook hands on the bet.

"I buy you new toilet brush when I'm finished," added the husky generously.

 **Oh boy. The contention between Blitz and Exile's normal, but what's going on with Hunter and Colleen, and what's the mission?**

 **Thanks so much for all the interest in the first story, and a special thank-you to Elimmc on DeviantArt for providing the cover art for this fic. As you old fans know, this is going to be a revisited version of Episode 2 of the series,** ** _Storm From the Pacific._** **As with the first story, though, I've tried to change it up and throw in a few surprises – like what's going on with the original canine couple, Hunter and Colleen? Better hold onto your seats because, once again, it's time to hit the road, Rovers!**

 **Also, please check out my just-finished Zootopia Christmas fic, "Santa Clawed," and the latest chapter of Zootopia Mystery "Something Stinks." You won't be disappointed. :)**

 **Easter Eggs:**

 **A popular 90s theme song**

 **Looney Tunes**


	2. Another Mission

The Rovers gathered in the main meeting room to find Shepherd at his usual station before a large screen. Usually this acted as a training room where the prof showed them videos; things like how to behave around humans and people they needed to recognize either as friends or foes. This time, though, they all knew they weren't in for a lesson.

"Road Rovers, I know you've been wondering when and how your services would be called upon again. Now the time has come, should you choose to accept it."

"What's the problem, Master?" asked Hunter.

Shepherd sagged ever so slightly. "There's no need to call me that, Hunter. As you know the government has squelched the news of your existence – with some help from my bank account," he added as an afterthought. "Now they are asking for your help in turn with a problem of grave importance. Two days ago, a battleship was attacked by an unidentified submarine in the South Pacific. All hands escaped, but the ship was lost – and so was a top-secret military device on board."

"What kind of device?" asked Colleen, lifting a hand to flip some of her hair back.

"They weren't allowed to tell me, but they did tell me that in the wrong hands it could mean the end of the free world."

The Rovers were confused. "Did you not say the ship sunk-ski?" asked Exile.

"The ship sank, but the navy's recovery vessels found no trace of the device. They believe someone – probably more than one person – stole it and escaped with the submarine responsible for the attack.

"Since that time, a satellite picked up a signal matching the device's frequency, as evidently whoever stole it was testing it out. The Marines sent in a team to retrieve it, but lost contact soon after."

"And now they want us to go in?" asked Hunter. "No offense, Master, but we've only been training for a few months now."

"Oh, is da mutt-boy scared now?" challenged Blitz.

Professor Shepherd folded his arms. "Sometimes it's good to be afraid, Blitz. Whoever is behind this is versed in military tactics and possesses what I'm told is a weapon deadly enough to place the fate of the world in jeopardy. It also places them in a position to retaliate on a level the President is anxious to avoid. The best chance of getting it back is that your powers and unconventionality will give you an advantage the thieves won't expect." Pausing a moment, he added, "Besides, it's the only way I can convince the government not to swarm in and take you and the transfigurator all off to a laboratory somewhere."

The Rovers all looked at one another, thinking that over. On the one hand, none of them had exactly asked for a future of missions too dangerous for the military. On the other hand, the prof had provided some pretty sweet digs at HQ; three square meals a day, the gym and swimming pool, and rec facilities. They even had their own rooms, _and_ were allowed on the couches (well, most of them anyway; Shag's had broken the week before under suspicious weight-related circumstances). Now it sounded like the world really needed their help. Besides, it wasn't like they hadn't been aching to go out and flex a little more muscle.

"Alright," Colleen agreed, standing up with her hands splayed on the table. "I'm up for it."

"Ditto," Hunter chimed, rising to his feet.

Blitz and Exile couldn't very well say no after that, and with a little persuasion even Shag caved in. Professor Shepherd nodded his approval.

"Between the training and subsequent treatments in the transfigurator, all of you are stronger and more capable than you were on your last mission. Hunter, we've pretty much solved your vision problems at high speed, and Blitz's teeth and claws are now stronger than ever."

"What about us?" asked Colleen, frowning as she gestured to Exile on one side of herself and Shag on the other.

Shepherd shrugged. "Well, there's only twenty-four hours in a day," he answered in his defense. "But for all of you, I've got some new equipment as well."

He reached down and picked up a case which had been sitting at his side, sliding it over to Exile where he sat in the center of the group. Exile opened it and saw six devices like sci-fi ray guns lying between layers of ripple-textured foam.

"These DEWs – Directed Energy Weapons – can be used to generate intense heat or cold, adjusted by a switch on the side. The gauges on top show how much energy they have on top and please be careful where you point them." Shepherd added this last a little anxiously as Shag, taking one clearly designed for massive fingers, stared down the barrel as if trying to figure out how they worked.

"Too cool!" exclaimed Hunter. He eyed the sleek shape of his weapon. "Heh. It looks kind of like you, Blitz."

"It does?" asked the Doberman, eyeing his weapon. "Ooh, I like it. My face is on a gun. I am calling it Blitz Blastah now."

Colleen rolled her eyes and glanced across at Hunter. "You just had to get him stahted, didn't you?" she asked.

Hunter just shrugged helplessly. "Sorry?"

Exile squinted in confusion at his blaster as if he were trying to solve a Rubik's Cube. "Where do you get these things?"

Shepherd coughed. "Uh, from my company," he admitted, sounding rather sheepish. "Testing out their prototypes was one of the ways I placated my investors after killing the transfigurator contract."

The husky's eyes widened in surprise and dismay. "You killed contract?! What did it do?"

Hunter shook his head. "No, Exile, it's an expression."

"Contract is expression?" Now Exile just looked confused. "How you kill expression?"

Shepherd sighed. "Ask later. Now, about the mission?"

Hunter coughed. "Uh, yeah. So, what does this device look like?"

An image flashed on the screen of a peculiar object resembling a metal desk drawer with no opening on top. "This is the item you're looking for," Professor Shepherd explained. "It will probably be connected to a computer of some kind. Also, the authorities were quite clear in asking that it not be destroyed like the last time. Its retrieval is an absolute necessity."

Hunter caught a glance from Colleen at the part about 'like last time.' "Retrieval, huh?" he asked. "Good thing I'm fifty percent retriever."

"And one hundred percent mutt," argued Blitz. "I'm not taking orders from some mixed breed again. I should be top dog."

The professor sighed at their squabbling. He hadn't yet assigned a full-time leader because so far none of the team had quite risen above the others. Hunter had ample diplomatic skills and had proven himself well on the first mission, but lacked decisiveness and focus. Colleen was quick and decisive, but too sharp when bothered. Blitz was brave and strong, but lacked judgment and diplomacy. Exile had potential, but got into arguments with Blitz too readily. Shag… well, it was safe to say Shag would never be leader material. Shepherd had specifically designed the transfigurator not to interfere too much with the dogs' minds, but he wished those would improve to match their enhanced bodies.

Colleen seemed to share his perspective. "Uh, gents," she broke in, "hadn't we better discuss this on the way to the hangar?"

"Yes," Shepherd broke in. "There's tactical gear in the armory for you all – and please remember the separate changing rooms."

Colleen glowered at Blitz as they left the room.

"Someone is still carrying grudge," Exile remarked, feeling pretty confident about his wager with the Doberman.

"Stay off my side, Exile," Colleen countered.

The tactical gear, as it turned out, was much less about form and more about function than their original uniforms. Covered in a camouflage pattern and equipped with numerous pockets, the new gear felt pretty baggy. Once they had changed into it, Colleen got her wish about discussing Hunter's merits and demerits en route to the hangar. Or at least she would have gotten her wish if by 'discuss' she had meant 'continue to bicker.' Blitz spent the walk complaining about how they almost got killed on the last mission. It seemed to the rest to take twice as long as usual before they entered a large room full of vehicles. Most were air-based, although there were also several cars and a small submarine sitting on a thing like a boat trailer. The submarine was modified from a research vessel, and the aircraft were mostly acquired through Professor Shepherd's business connections.

"… and you told da mutant to _put me down,"_ added the Doberman, waving his arms.

Hunter raised his hands palms-up. "Okay, so I picked a bad choice of words."

"I think Huntuh did alright," Colleen argued, feeling the need to balance things out. She strongly suspected that if Blitz gave her that kind of lip, she would have fattened it for him. She was still miffed over the way he ogled her when he thought she wasn't looking – and often as not when he knew she was.

"Well you would think so," Blitz argued, "since he lost the mission to save you."

Colleen folded her arms. "Well, a lot of girls would find that romantic," she quipped. Glancing at Hunter, she added, "Not that you're off the hook, just so we're clear."

As entertaining as the repartee was, Hunter was getting tired of it. "Well, nobody asked me to be in charge," he admitted, shrugging. "Blitz, if you want to call the shots this time, I'm okay with that."

" _Huh?"_ asked the others, dumbfounded.

Even Blitz seemed taken aback. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"Are you crazy?" rejoined Exile.

Blitz allowed no time to answer that question. "Alright. Colleen, you and I will take the sahb. You othahs take the plane." The fact that there were several planes in the hangar was apparently lost on him.

The others reluctantly obeyed, with Exile, Shag, and especially Colleen clearly questioning the sanity of this new chain of command.

"We should have put to vote," Exile grumbled as he, Hunter, and Shag climbed into a jet.

"This way, pretty girl doggie," Blitz practically leered as he climbed down the sub's hatch.

Colleen folded her arms. "Gee, and I thought that was one of the planes," she muttered. She thought about taking another jet. With any luck, they'd be halfway to their destination before Blitz realized he would be going alone.

"If he makes a move in my direction, this sub bettah have a backup control panel," she uttered, reluctantly descending.

* * *

As the Rovers left, the professor pulled out his phone and re-dialed the last number. It only rang once before an answer came.

"General Malone."

"It's Professor Shepherd, sir. They're on their way."

"Thank you, Professor."

Professor Shepherd held his silence for a moment, and when he did speak it wasn't to say 'You're welcome.' "General, I have to be honest. I'm not happy with this."

"Neither am I, but my higher-ups insisted. You've unleashed what could be the most powerful fighting force on the face of the earth, and after everything I did to cover for you last time, I had to give the Pentagon some reassurance that there wasn't a threat of it turning on them."

The prof knew that was true. General Malone had been his inroad to the government, and after the fiasco it was only by his string-pulling that it had been possible to withdraw the project from Uncle Sam and even Shepherd Industries. One could have argued that it was an act of embezzling, really, and the general had made it clear he disliked the whole thing, but there really wasn't much alternative.

"Professor?" asked the general, evidently bothered by the long silence. "Are you there?"

"Yes sir, I'm here. And... thank you. You're right. This is the least I can do."

"I never said it was the least you could do," argued the general.

The professor's voice was weary and uncertain. "No, you didn't," he agreed, "but it is."

When the call ended, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I feel like I just sent Daniel off to the lions' den," he murmured.

* * *

 **And there you have it; chapter two. As you fans of the original series know now, this is a retake of "Storm from the Pacific," the original show's episode 2. I probably mentioned before that the lineup of episodes won't always be the same (I'm thinking of putting "Dawn of the Groomer" and one or two other episodes in season 2, for instance), but given the para-military theme going here it made sense to use this one next anyway. Also, obviously, there's going to be some plot differences with Exile not yet having heat or freeze vision and Muzzle not being the one to save them – unless of course I find some way to introduce him in this episode.**

 **My thanks to KRUSA for the comment, and yes, Muzzle will be important once he arrives. However, like I've said, I want to give him a more unique introduction separate from the other Rovers. So you'll see when the time comes. :)**

 **Nobody seems to have taken a stab at the Easter Egg in the first chapter, but I guess I made it less than obvious by applying it to a villain. General Malone's line about Parvo having "a power and force like we've never seen before" is a nod to the Power Rangers theme song.**


	3. Subs (and Ships) a-Sinking

**Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long. Usually winter feels like it offers extra time to write, but sometimes not so much. I guess it just feels like more time when I'm working a job so slow no one minds if I write on the side, but I'm getting off track.**

 **Before we begin I should explain that I went back and made a few logistical changes to how the team gets around. For those who've been following I'll save you the trouble of backtracking. Since New Mexico is so far from any sizable bodies of water, their sub doesn't sit in a pool of water. Instead they keep it in dry dock and transport it by plane when they expect to need it.**

 **Also, sorry if the accents aren't very good. Not that experienced writing them, so please bear with me and by all means tell me how I can improve.**

Out in the desert of New Mexico, a large monolithic-looking structure hidden under a massive sand hill opened up. Out of it shot a small private jet carrying the team of canine heroes.

"Exile," Hunter tried to explain as they reached cruising altitude, "Master didn't actually kill anything."

"But he said he killed expression," Exile pressed.

Hunter smacked himself in the face. "No, no," he insisted. "The part about killing _was_ the expression. He only killed it figuratively."

The husky's face scrunched and his ears leaned back in confusion. "How do you kill figuratively? What kind of expression is kill?"

"Ruh rayrih rih rahp," Shag interjected.

"Yeah, what he said," Hunter explained, jerking a thumb at the sheepdog.

"What did he say?" asked Exile.

Hunter sighed. This would be exasperating if it wasn't kind of funny. "Look, kill can mean to make something stop _living_ , but it also means to make something stop – like the kill switch in the equipment shop."

"You mean button that shuts off all dangerous tools?"

"Yeah, that."

"Ohhhh," said the husky, nodding as if he finally got it. Then he stopped as something else came to him. "So what is contract?"

Hunter laughed awkwardly and shrugged. He had come across some news article about a celebrity contracting a disease at some point, but that made absolutely no sense here. "Uh, to be honest, I have no idea."

Colleen rolled her eyes. "Well, while you gents discuss the finer points of the English language, I think I'll go make sure I know my way around the sub's controls."

Blitz immediately rose to follow her. "I am an expert on sub controls. I will help you."

With her back turned, he couldn't see her grimace – not that it would have made much impression anyway. "Um, thanks so much, but I was thinking of Exile, actually."

"Me?" asked Exile, turning in some surprise.

"Go ahead, Exile," Hunter encouraged. "You've been spending so much time with the machines, you should know them like the back of your paw."

"Hand," corrected Colleen.

Hunter shook his head. "But we're dogs. Dogs have paws."

"Not anymore, we don't," she argued, propping her wrists on her hips in annoyance. "We've got hands now."

"Well, they still call it a paw if it's on a monkey," Hunter pointed out.

Colleen threw up a whatever-it-was in exasperation. Blitz, who had been moving around behind her for some reason and starting to lean in close, was somehow just in time to get slapped on the nose.

"Oh, never mind," Colleen muttered, oblivious as Blitz stepped back clutching his olfactory organ. "Come on, Exile. Show me the ropes."

Blitz remembered from their tour of the various vehicles they'd be using that the cockpit was pretty small. He'd been looking forward to sharing a confined space with Colleen, but having Exile in there – and more specifically having him occupy Colleen's attention – changed the picture considerably.

"Depth gauge is good-ski," the husky announced. "Power supplies are full, all diagnostics dokey-okey…"

Colleen leaned over the back of the pilot's seat where Exile was sitting. "You're pretty good at this," she observed in a flattering tone.

Exile blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is piece of beans," he boasted. "Can of cake, really."

"Dat's piece of cake and can of beans," Blitz corrected testily. "Listen, snowball, why don't you bug ou-"

He stopped at a look from Colleen. Maybe showing everyone who was boss wasn't the way to impress her.

"I mean, I'm the leadah this time, and I know this stuff pretty well myself. Let me show the pretty she-dog how it's done."

Colleen shook her head. A dirty look from her had checked his rudeness toward Exile, but he still seemed to have forgotten that 'the pretty she-dog' had a name. "Alright, mistah," she challenged, gesturing to the array of navigational instruments. "Which one of these is the compass?"

Blitz frowned and regarded the panel uneasily. "Um, uh… this one?" he asked, pointing.

Colleen shrugged and folded her arms. "Go on, Exile," she advised.

The doberman growled in the back of his throat, not at all pleased that Exile was getting the upper hand in their little contest. He bit his lip, though. Better to make his move when Exile was out of the way.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what Blitz was thinking, of course.

* * *

As fast as the jet went, it wasn't that long until they were beyond the California coastline and over open water.

"Alright," announced Blitz. "Time to split up."

Hunter scratched his head. "Wouldn't it make more sense to get close to the island first? Pretty sure we'll make better time with the jet.

"Dah jet will go fastah if it's not carrying dah sahb," Blitz countered. "Besides, I'm leadah this time, remembah?"

"Oh, right," Hunter conceded. "Okay, you and Colleen-"

"Uh-uh, I'm giving dah ordahs," Blitz cut him off. He waved to Colleen. "Let's get to de sahb."

Colleen rolled her eyes and cast a perturbed look at Hunter.

 _What'd I do?_ wondered Hunter. First Colleen seemed like she didn't want to be around him, and now she was annoyed… what, because she wasn't going to be around him?

Blitz and Colleen vanished through the back of the plane, and the door whirred shut. The plane's cargo hold had been modified to function as a kind of air lock, so that opening the doors back there wouldn't effect the cockpit. A minute later, Colleen's voice buzzed through the radio.

 _"Alright, Huntuh, take her down."_

Hunter steered the plane into a decline, then leveled off a few feet above the ocean and switched to Hover Mode. Outside, jets directed down at the ground switched on while the main units all but shut down.

"You guys both ready?" he asked.

 _"Yah, get us going already,"_ chafed Blitz's voice through the speaker.

After some brief thought to asking Colleen one more time what the issue was, Hunter pushed a button to open the bomb bay doors. They could hear a splash, both from outside the plane and through the radio, as the sub hit the water.

"All set?"

 _"Roger that,"_ came Colleen's voice. _"See you at the island, Huntie."_

Hunter stopped, a stunned look coming over his face. "Did you just call me Huntie?"

Silence.

"Colleen?"

When she didn't answer, he checked the instrument panel to make sure the sub wasn't issuing a distress signal. Nothing.

"Okay, we're off. We'll meet you at the island." Shifting a couple of controls, he turned off the hover jets and gunned the forward ones, climbing back toward the sky.

Silence reigned in the space that followed, but eventually Shag piped up. "Ruh rah rih roo reh rahree?" he asked.

Hunter frowned uneasily. "I don't know, Shag." Sighing, he added, "And honestly, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Talk about what?" asked Exile.

"Well, if I told you then I'd be talking about it."

Unable to penetrate that kind of logic, Exile returned his gaze to the plane's console. Now he was really worried – partly on account of his friend, and partly because of the bet. Whatever the cause of Colleen's displeasure, he wanted to be sure not to repeat it – especially if he was going to win the bet with Blitz.

 _'Wonder what they are up to anyway?'_ he thought, his mind drifting to the other two members of their team somewhere far, far below.

* * *

Down in the sub, Colleen watched Blitz fumble with the controls. Despite thorough training and the refresher course from Exile, it was clear that the doberman was way, way off his game.

"Here," she invited, tapping him on the shoulder. "Why don't you let me take that off your 'ands, govnuh?"

At first he scowled at her, incensed at this effort to take control. However, a charming smile from the collie swiftly disarmed him and sent him drawing back, drumming his fingers together.

"So, ahhh, does this thing have an autopilot? You know, in case we have to do someting else?"

Colleen rolled her eyes, seeing that she had only traded one nuisance for another. _Well, I know my bottom's staying in this seat for the rest of the trip,_ she thought to herself.

At first she held onto that resolution, but as the voyage dragged on Blitz grew more annoying. When it became clear that his efforts to strike up a ormantic conversation – or what passed for it in his mind – were ineffective, he asked about taking over the controls.

Colleen ignored him.

"Lady, I am talking with you!" he exclaimed, just about at his temper's limit.

The use of that generic word pushed a red button in Colleen's psyche. A small red button, but a red button none the less. Instead of snap something like, 'This "lady" has a name, you know,' she decided to try a more creative approach.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said brightly, pivoting her chair to face him. "I didn't see you sitting there. I'm Colleen. Have we met?"

He frowned in confusion and annoyance. "Of course we've met."

She stared at him with an air of childlike innocence, cocking her head to one side. "Hmm, not making the connection."

"I'm _Blitz!"_ he snapped impatiently. "The leadah of this mission?"

Colleen turned her gaze to the ceiling, tapping her chin. "Blitz, Blitz. No, that's not working for me." She brightened suddenly, her eyes widening and her mouth bending into an exaggerated smile. "I know! I'll give you a brand-new name! Something that bettah suits your winning personality."

"Huh?"

She clasped her hands together, closing her eyes like she was thinking of something unimaginably sweet. "Yes, from now on let's call you Mistuh Fluffypants."

Blitz's eyes hardened and his brow seemed to grow visibly darker – which, considering the fur up there was already black, was quite a statement. "Let's not."

"Mistuh Stuffington Fluffypants! Oh, Fluffy for short."

This last was too much, and Blitz's eyes flashed with anger. "Stop calling me that or I'll bite you!"

Okay, so subtlety wasn't doing it. Time for Plan C. "Oh yeah? With whose dentures, _Fluffy?_ "

In the jet above, a loud burst of static came from the sub's radio, mingled with what sounded like crashing and yelling.

"Exile, check up on them," ordered Hunter.

Exile was already grabbing the handset. "Blitz! Everything dokey-okey down there?"

Blitz's voice came through sounding dazed and stupefied. Well, more stupefied than usual. "Just call me Fluffyyyy..." he groaned through more static.

The husky grimaced. "Don't be weird boy," he advised. "Colleen, are you down there?"

There was a pause. "Speaking, gents. Did you miss me?"

As a matter of fact Exile did miss her, but that was beside the point. "What is going on down there?"

Her voice implied her shrug. "Oh, nothing to write home about. Our headache just has another headache, that's all."

Hunter picked up his own set. "Easy on Blitz, Colleen. It's not nice to pick on people who can't fight back, remember?"

An annoyed huff came through. "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment. Ta-ta." She clicked off.

"Ruh ruh rahh ruh-row?" asked Shag.

Both of the other guys could only shrug, but Exile had a suspicion that whatever had happened down there had tipped the odds considerably in his favor.

 **And thus we end another chapter. A lot of Blitz's fans weren't too crazy with the running gag of Colleen clobbering him and saddling him with annoying, belittling nicknames. Personally I thought he deserved it (at least most of the time), but for the purposes of this series I decided to give it a little more background. As I suspect was always meant to be the case, these little games were just Colleen trying to get him off her tail when he hit on her.**

To the Guest reviewers on Chapter 2:

Guest: Well, I'm not sure where you see that. I'm open to the two of them getting along later on, but as seen here Blitz is going to have to learn some manners first.

KRUSA: Nope, haven't seen anything like that. Guess I'll have to take your word for it.


	4. April Day! April Day!

**Sorry for taking so long, folks! Been tied up with life, books, working on the house, working on a little something for my girlfriend, yadda yadda... and of course work. Fortunately the other writing included material to come after this story, and a nudge from MatbK01 got me thinking on this one long enough to find the inspiration I needed. My thanks for all the reviews and, of course, patience. Happy reading!**

 **Carmen: What?!  
Juni: Where did you go?  
Carmen: I'm right behind him! Where are you?!  
Juni: I'm toast.  
 _Spy Kids_  
**

On board the jet, the first leg of the mission passed uneventfully as the cano-sapiens all considered the battle ahead. Hunter opted to do most of the flying, hoping to distract himself from the dispute with Colleen. Exile had gone back to join Shag in perusing a magazine.

Suddenly a low whistle caught Hunter's ears. He turned to see his colleagues gazing intently at a magazine held sideways, with the lower page opened a second time over. What'd they call those? Oh yeah, foldouts.

"Babushka!" cried Exile, chuckling and grinning toward Shag as he pointed at the page. "Get load of those two!"

"What are you guys looking at?" asked Hunter, looking over his shoulder.

Exile turned the magazine around for him to see. " _Forestry Illustrated_ ," he replied. "The giant Redwood Issue."

"Reah," Shag affirmed.

Hunter frowned, not so much in disapproval but with more of a sense of, 'okay, what's with that?' He pointed an index finger at them, which according to the Professor was a way of emphasizing a statement.

"You two definitely need a hobby."

* * *

The journey stretched on for several hours with little communication between the two vehicles. It wasn't until the island came in sight that Hunter decided to open a channel to the sub again.

 _"Blitz, we've got a visual on the island. I think we should land ahead of you guys and scout things out."_

Blitz, meanwhile, was slowly regaining his sense of where and when he was. After some obscure span of time with little idea or awareness of anything, he'd gradually worked out that he was either in a luxurious room full of dancing Colleens in exotic, showy getups… or in the sub with one Colleen in tactical gear acting like he didn't exist.

"Wha-ah-ah-ah?" he asked dizzily, sitting up and holding a hand to his head.

"Oh, you _a_ _re_ awake," Colleen observed as if remarking on some peculiar effect of the wall paneling. "Took you long enough. I didn't knock you that hard."

Much to his chagrin, it was becoming quite clear which was the reality.

"Huntuh's on the radio," the real Colleen announced. "'E wants to know whethuh to land right away."

The response was, to Blitz's credit, quick and decisive for his state – which is to say it took him not less than two minutes but not more than four. "No way," he answered grimly. "Don't land until we get dere, Huntah."

Colleen frowned. "Are you sure about that? It wouldn't hurt to get an advance look at the place."

Blitz wasn't backing down. "I'm sure," he stated flatly.

Colleen sighed and shrugged. _Why do I get the feeling Hunter made a bad call letting Blitz take charge?_ she mused. Still, she relayed the doberman's orders to the plane above. "I guess it couldn't hurt to circle around the place either," she added by way of advice.

" _Circle around? I haven't chased my tail since I was a pup."_

She rolled her eyes. "Just scout things out and try to stay under the radar," she advised.

" _Oh. Yeah, okay. Will do. Over and out."_

* * *

Returning his attention to the controls, Hunter grasped the yoke and looked across at Exile. "Um, either of you guys remember how high is below the radar?"

Shag shrugged helplessly. "Roh ruw," he rumbled.

Exile just scratched his head. "I not sure-ski."

Hunter stared at the radar monitor. "I think it's like two hundred feet, but I guess as long as we're not picking anything up on ours, they won't catch us on theirs."

"Sounds right," Exile agreed. "But fly very low, just for now please."

Obliging him, Hunter flew as low over the waves as he could without serious risk of crashing. Unfortunately, all this gave him view-wise was a lot of cliffs, an old lava flow crusted over with black rock, and a moonlit tropical beach. It looked as though the island were heavily forested with palms, but it was hard to tell from so low down.

"Hope we came to right island," Exile uttered after the eighth circuit or so.

"I think I'm gonna go a little higher," Hunter replied. "Keep an eye on the island and tell me what you see down there."

"Dokee-okee."

On the next pass around, Exile scanned the island through a pair of high-powered night vision binoculars. "Trees, trees, more trees, more trees…" he related.

Shag whined.

"Uh, yeah, Exile? Stop saying trees, okay?" asked Hunter. "Pretty soon I'll have to go."

"Dah." Exile continued to scan. "I see road," he announced suddenly. "And… Hunter, there is base!"

"Where?" asked Hunter.

"At the foot of the mountain-ski!"

Hunter groaned. "Well, duh. I thought you meant something else."

"But I see base! At the bottom of the mount-"

"I heard you. Look, what about that road?"

Exile shook his head. "It leads to base. Like home base!"

That caught Hunter's interest. "Really? You mean there's a baseball field down there?"

There came a sharp smack as Exile clapped a hand over his eyes. "No! Air plane base! Planes are taking off now!"

Shag whined, and just as Hunter was about to ask why he spotted several pings on the radar.

"Uh, Exile," he ventured, "could you please tell me those planes _aren't_ headed for us?"

Exile looked through the binoculars. "Uhh…"

Before he could answer, there was a loud explosion and the whole plane shook. Hunter bit his lip.

"Never mind."

The cockpit was flung in every sense of the word into chaos as one of the engines lost power. Hunter strained at the control yoke trying to maintain control of the plane as Exile yelled and Shag gripped his seat for dear life.

"Hunter, fly faster! Fly like a… fly like a really fast thing that flies… fast!" jabbered Exile.

Hunter grunted as the plane veered, and just managed to dodge the worst of the damage from another round of missiles. All the same, he'd learned that a big part of being a good team player was to always be supportive. "Exile, you have a way with words," he commended, finally getting the plane somewhat leveled out.

Exile smiled. "Thank you. It is gift."

Hunter turned out to sea. "Let's see if we can make them think we're giving up," he suggested, punching the throttle.

A loud _bang_ shook the plane as the remaining engine, damaged in the last salvo, gave in and blew out.

"Reh-ree ruh-ruh rye-ree-rah?" asked Shag anxiously.

Hunter shrugged. "Well, we could give up for real, but that's not what superheroes do."

Shag whined in pure terror as Hunter turned the plane and made straight for the jungle.

* * *

Back on the sub, Blitz and Colleen received a distress signal from the island, triggered automatically by the plane's rapid descent and engine failure.

"Blimey!" cried the collie.

Blitz folded his arms. "This would nevuh have happened if I was – ach! What ah you doing?!" he explained as Colleen set to bustling about the controls.

"Throwing this fancy tub into overdrive," she answered fatalistically, wishing she had retained more from their lessons on operating the machine. "Bettah sit down."

Blitz was no technical genius, but he remembered very clearly that Shepherd had said this sub wasn't really designed for overdrive, and that using it that way could pose a threat to the vehicle… and anyone in it.

"Ah you crazy?" he cried. "You could sink us both!"

Colleen calmly reached for the depth control, pulling back on it. "We'll go fastah on the surface. Hang on."

Blitz was getting close to losing it. "Hold on dere," he snapped, darting in a hand and barring the last lever. "I'm in chahge, and I didn't say to do that!"

She rounded sharply on him. "If we get there too late," she snapped, "who's gonna let you be the leaduh latuh on? Evuh?"

Blitz needed a moment to consider that; a very, _very_ short moment. "What ah you waiting foah?!" he demanded. "Let's get ovah-!"

As soon as his hand came off the lever, Colleen rammed it to its maximum setting. The sub shot forward and up, and the doberman toppled back, sliding to the back of the sub.

"Gah-ah-ah-ah-OOMPH!" he cried, grunting on impact and paying a brief revisit to the room of dancing Colleens.

The sub shot out of the water, breaching like a whale and bouncing before it regained its balance and shot out over the waves like a motorboat. They were already going at breakneck speed, but it still had a trick up its hull. As they leveled out, Colleen slammed down a button with her fist and the sub extended a set of hydroplanes down into the water. A moment later it had risen up on them, blasting across the ocean like it was on skis. Colleen then drew in every external apparatus that could collapse except the antenna, listening for any signal from her teammates.

She didn't know if they could get to that island in time to help the others, but she was resolved that if they didn't they'd make whoever was there pay.

* * *

"Well," Hunter remarked, pulling his head out of a hole in the console, "that sure seemed a lot easier in the flight simulator."

Exile groaned as he rubbed his _very_ sore neck, echoed by Shag while the latter extracted himself from a heap of assorted junk that had fallen out of a locker and landed on him.

"How bad did we land-ski?" asked Exile, struggling to stand. The floor was tilted at a crazy angle, and it shifted still further when Shag got up.

"Shag, hold it!" Hunter cried, raising a hand to stop him. The sheepdog, and everyone else for that matter, froze like statues.

Taking care not to move his feet, Hunter looked out the shattered windows and took stock of their whereabouts. To their left side, about twenty yards away, loomed a cliff face of grayish rock. To their right side, he saw only jungle. Somewhere outside the plane he heard water flowing.

 _Gulp._

"Well," he announced, "I think I know where we are now."

"Ah, good-ski," Exile said with some relief.

"Reh rah ree?" asked Shag, heading Exile off.

Hunter grinned nervously. "Well, I'm pretty sure we're on the edge of a ravine just off to our left."

Shag whimpered, and Exile looked ill. "That," said the husky, "is not good-ski."

Suddenly the plane shifted again, and the cliffs to the left seemed to gain some height. Hunter's heart jumped to his throat.

"Go up!" he shouted. "Get out of the plane now!" Shag raced toward the uppermost side, throwing the door open. The plane lurched violently, and Hunter and Exile were thrown downward.

"Roh-ho-ho!" cried Shag in despair, grabbing the doorway.

Hunter shoved himself to his feet, his mind racing. He'd never been on a teeter-totter, but if he had he would have compared the whole plane to that. What he did know something about was balance beams and gymnastics equipment, Professor Shepherd having drilled them vigorously in the base's extensive gymnasium. Colleen was the best by about a factor of ten, but Hunter had learned a few things – hopefully just enough to pull off what he was about to try.

Bracing against the sloping floor, he planted his feet and called on every bit of speed he could muster. He started to run… or try to run. The floor was getting so slanted his feet just slipped and slid. Shag howled overhead, and even Exile was yelling his head off.

 _Faster!_ thought Hunter. _I have to go faster!_

With startling abruptness, one of his feet caught and catapulted him up the wall. He almost lost his footing, but with a lunge forward he managed to shoot past Shag and out onto the wing. Up the ten feet of wing left he rushed, grabbing the sheared-off end and vaulting around to the far side. The abrupt jerking stop wrenched his arms, but his grip held.

"Exile!" he shouted. "Climb up Shag and both of you get out!"

"RUH?!" yelped Shag.

There was the sound of a moment's scuffle inside the plane. Hunter tried to see what was going on, but the wing stood directly in his view. Then he felt the plane lurch and start to slide, gaining speed.

"GUYS!"

Twin wild yells sounded from the cliff side just as gravity won out and the plane shot down. He swung outward, hoping to buy them just a moment more, only to slam stomach-first into the ground as the plane's wing scraped him off. He slid forward a few inches and stopped, too stunned to do anything but stare as the aircraft plunged down the chasm towards a narrow inlet of the sea. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw fire inside the cabin before the plane flipped upside-down.

"Exile!" he called out with his last dregs of hope. "Shag!"

"Over here, comrade!"

He turned to see them lying on a rock ledge a few feet from the side of the chasm. They were dusty and looked like they had just run a few laps around the planet, but they were alive.

"Oh, hi," Hunter greeted, sitting up.

The three gathered in a cluster and had a short pow-wow. Shag was in favor of getting as far away from there as possible. Exile argued that since the sub would need a place to dock, they should contact Colleen and Blitz to guide them to the inlet. When both of them had voiced their thoughts, they turned to Hunter and stopped in expectant silence.

Hunter considered for a moment, trying to decide how to cast the deciding vote. "Well, we can't wait around and do nothing," he admitted, "but I don't like the idea of Colleen and Blitz showing up without a welcome wagon. What if you guys sit tight and-"

Three things happened almost too fast to track: a loud crack split the woods, Hunter felt a rush of air on his back, and nearby a piece of wood popped off a tree trunk as if someone had set off a firecracker inside.

It didn't take a genius to add up _those_ pieces.

"RUN!"

The three of them took off running like mad dogs, with more bullets whizzing and impacts bursting around them. Leaves and branches slapped at their faces in the dark. Several times they tripped over rocks and roots that seemed to pop up out of nowhere in the darkness. Then, all at once, the ground dropped from underneath them and they tumbled headlong down a wet, sloppy slope into a stream.

"Where'd they go?!" someone called in the woods behind them.

"They must have fallen down the bank! After them!" answered another voice.

Hunter pushed himself up. The guys shooting at them were close; too close.

"You guys, roll in the mud and keep going," he ordered in a low voice. "I'll distract them."

"But Hunter-!" protested Exile.

"No time! I'll sniff you guys out later." With that, Hunter scrambled up the muddy bank they'd just come down. A howl echoed through the darkened jungle, followed by a rushing of leaves and the hail-like sound of gunfire.

Exile stared at Shag. "Why did he say roll in mud?"

Shag just shrugged, looking down helplessly at the thick, dark gunk.

 **Thanks again for waiting, folks, and sorry for the delay. I'm going to try to be a little more balanced in how I shift between projects, but it'll still be some while before the next update in any case. While you wait, here's a quick update on my other projects.  
 _Something Stinks_ (Zootopia) has claimed the crown of being my all-time top story on this site.  
 _Rendez-Bleu_ (Zootopia) has become my first fic ever to receive a comic companion, viewable on DA and FA under the title "Daze at the Beach" and drawn by Elimmc.  
 _Prank War_ (Zootopia), my first group collab story, should have its second chapter by the end of the month with some choice inspiration out of _My Hero Academia!_  
 _Night Plague_ (Zootopia/Dracula mashup), my first full-length horror piece, should be going up next month.  
**

 **Be sure to check those out! Hopefully switching back to my three seasons job will allow me to get back up to speed on writing. Happy reading!**

 **On a side note, I also recently confirmed my theory that Joseph Campanella, the voice of Professor Shepherd, also acted in the _Adventures in Odyssey_ radio series, where he lent his stellar talents to such characters as Horatio G. Spafford, the writer of "It Is Well With My Soul." I'm also pretty sure he was in the _Last Chance Detectives_ audio series, alongside Spy Kids star Daryl Sabera. Just thought I'd toss that out there; definitely some excellent productions. Might even steal some of their ideas for Road Rovers.**

 **Last but not least, a quick response to my Guest Reader:  
KRUSA1: I have given some thought to auxiliary and alternate teams for use in other stories, which I'll get to as time allows. In the meantime all I can say is to brace yourselves for when they come up (mucho grande big time twist there), and to check out Elimmc's comics on DA about what a Space Rovers team could have been like. As for Tuff Puppy, I'm afraid it's not likely I'll be caught up on my current projects any time close to the foreseeable future, and I never saw the show so I wouldn't have a clue where to begin. Don't let that stop you, though. :)**

 **Don't forget to Fave, Follow, and Review!**


	5. Well, He Got In Alright

**So, back to the Road Rovers. I'll avoid taking up writing time on the same apologies as in the past, and instead just say thanks for bearing with me. Happy reading!**

As Colleen and Blitz approached the island, discretion started to reassert itself over valor.

"Let's get in there nice and quiet," Colleen remarked, easing back on the throttle and retracting the hydroplanes. "We'll get ourselves in close on-"

"Hey," Blitz interrupted. "I'm dah leadah, remembah?"

For a pleasant few minutes Colleen actually _had_ managed to forget that. "Sorry. What's the plan?"

Blitz eyed the island for a long moment as if he thought his stare could make the whole place burst into flames and melt. "Sneak up on dem," he ordered. "Find somewheah to stop out of sight and we'll attack when their girly backs ah turned."

Making a mental note to kick him when _his_ back was turned for the 'girly' part, Colleen saluted. "Aye-aye, Captain Fluffypants."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Colleen steered for the choppiest waters she could spot as she maneuvered toward the island, hoping that if anyone was watching the irregular waves would disguise the shape of their boat. She considered diving, but this close to the island she suspected it would get too shallow or pose a risk of reefs.

Unfortunately, the choppy water had its own consequences.

"Dah! Oof! Yah!" hollered Blitz, struggling to stay on his feet. "Could you cut dat out? I can't stand up!"

"Then sit down instead," she offered with impeccable reasoning just before a ping registered on the control console. Colleen studied it a moment and then muttered, "I 'ope… that's not… what… I think… it… is."

"Why-ai-ai?" asked Blitz, pulling himself into a seat.

"Because… I think… it's… the plane."

Arching around the island, she found their way to a channel driven into the land as if it were a giant cake and someone had carved out a very, _very_ narrow slice. Slowing to a crawl so as not to wreck, Colleen taxied inside and made an unwelcome discovery: the still-burning remains of the others' plane.

"Blimey!" she cried, coming to a stop. Before Blitz could figure out what was going on, she had jumped out and was scrambling across rocks or swimming through the water to get as close as possible to the smoldering wreckage.

"Huntuh! Shag! Exile!" she called, trying not to shout too loudly despite her heart's pounding impetus to yell her head off.

By the time Blitz arrived, Colleen had calmed down enough to conclude something hopeful: by all she could tell, they hadn't been on board when it crashed.

"Well, I'm for getting up to the top of that cliff," she reasoned, looking up at the long, rocky climb.

"What makes you think I'm going to go up dere?" asked Blitz impetuously.

She shrugged. "If we don't find them then how are you going to boss them around?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed back towards the watercraft. "I think there was something in 'ere for jobs like this."

Several minutes of rummaging and tossing items over her shoulder yielded a pair of backpacks stocked with various pieces of half-identified equipment and a device roughly resembling a paintball gun with several small gas canisters clipped onto it. Colleen eyed the gadget warily.

"Now if I can just remember 'ow it works."

* * *

Up top, Hunter was dashing this way and that through the jungle, leading the goons on a merry chase as bullets shredded the growth and ground in his wake. Darting around a large tree, he pressed his back to the bark and froze, breathing as quietly as possible.

"I wish I knew where Colleen and Blitz were about-"

 _Pffff-shoonk!_

Hunter shot to the next tree as something lodged, hissing like a snake and sticking like a dart, into the one under which he hid. As he ducked low and looked back, he saw the strangest thing. A small object, roughly rocket-shaped and about the size of a ballpoint pen, had lodged itself in a nook of the tree. Stranger still, if he listened closely he could now hear a faint _pung pung_ sound almost like the plucking of a guitar string.

Further contemplation was stalled as two of the guys who had been chasing after him came running. One of them, passing the strange dart, let out a startled cry and fell backward flat on his back. (If it was a he, anyway. Hard to tell with the body armor).

The other one turned to his partner and said something unrepeatable before stopping to look at something between them.

"Is that a trip line?" he asked, then looked back and forth. "Hey, it's a grappler! Someone's coming up the ravine!"

Hunter thought fast. If these guys didn't know about the wire and dart thing, it was safe to say it came from some other party – and he had a pretty good idea who, too.

"I would not have predicted this," he murmured.

As the one on his back got up, the one standing raised a hand to his helmet. "Team Six to base. We've got a-"

He didn't finish. Summoning a lightning burst of speed, Hunter closed the gap between them and plowed a fist squarely into the small of Goon Two's back. His own speed sent a shock of pain up his arm at the impact, but based on the way the goon crumpled to the ground with a cry and a grunt, it was safe to say which of them felt it more.

"What the-?!" cried Goon One before Hunter vaulted the cord and landed knee-first on his stomach, driving the wind from his lungs.

"First things first," he murmured. Slipping a length of nylon cord from his belt, he relieved them of their helmets and tied each of them to a tree. Once he had them tied and gagged (hopefully they didn't mind him stealing their socks for that), he followed the cord to check up on his hunch. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but he was ninety percent sure the figure coming up the wire – using some kind of portable mechanical winch by the looks of it – was Blitz.

"Hey, nice timing, bro," he called down in a hushed voice, flashing a thumbs-up.

"What?" hollered Blitz back.

Hunter cringed, hoping none of the other goons were in earshot. "Never mind," he called back, pulling back from the cliff's edge and weighing his options. If he pulled on the cord to speed Blitz up, he'd probably cut his hands. With nothing better to do, he decided to frisk the two goons he had caught for anything useful. By the time Blitz had arrived, he had found a half-dozen assorted explosives, a full dozen ammo clips, two sidearms each, a knife each, and a rubber ducky key chain. He appropriated one of the knives and the key chain, and was just about trying on one of the goons' helmets when Blitz mounted the edge.

"Whoa, Blitz," he commented, turning to his companion. "You look all green and glowy."

Blitz scowled as he rose to his feet. "You're just mad you ah not handsome like me," he retorted.

Hunter ignored the ego trip and shed the helmet. The night vision was cool, but it didn't really fit the shape of his head. "Where's Colleen?"

"Down dere," Blitz replied, holding out a length of climbing rope. "Here, tie dis rope to something. Hurry up."

Hunter grabbed it and darted over to the nearest tree, drawing a yelp and a grunt from his ally as the rope suddenly jerked back. Turning in confusion, he discovered that Blitz had suddenly whipped around and fallen flat on his butt.

"Let me untie it from _me_ first, dummy!"

"Oh."

In light of the chances that their noise or the unfinished summons from Goon Two might have drawn more trouble to them, Hunter decided to speed up Colleen's ascent. As soon as he was sure she was firmly attached to the rope, he radioed down to her to climb up as best she could. While she did that, he began pulling up on his end and looping the slack around rocks or anything else he could find.

"Little help?" he asked Blitz.

Blitz looked at him as if he were crazy. "I just climbed a hundred feet," he pointed out.

Hunter shrugged. "Sorry," he offered innocently. "I thought you were tough enough for that."

Whether it was baiting or a genuine compliment, Blitz didn't know or care. Seizing hold of the rope, he started hauling on it too. It only took a few minutes to get a very dusty, frazzled Colleen up over the edge.

"Colleen!" cried Hunter, dashing forward to help her onto solid ground. "Man am I glad to see you."

She brushed herself off. "I'd 'ave been more presentable if you hadn't made such a rush job of it," she remarked a bit tersely.

Hunter bit his lip. Was she _still_ mad at him? "Uh, sorry?" he offered uncertainly.

"Okay, stop de hug-fest," Blitz broke in. "Where ah de others?"

It took a moment for Hunter to regain his bearings. "Well, as best I can tell I left them over that way. I said I'd sniff them out after I found you guys."

"So you split up?" asked Blitz incredulously. "What ah you, some kind of idiot? Dat nevah works!"

"Says the one who had us going in separate vehicles," Colleen pointed out.

Blitz froze for a moment, then fired back, "Well if I hadn't we'd only have da burned-up plane right now, ya? Stop criticizing and let me lead."

Hunter and Colleen glanced at one another. "Okay," Hunter replied with a shrug. "So do you want to get the team back together or head out and find the others?"

While Colleen raised an eyebrow, Blitz glowered at Hunter. "I'll give the ordahs around here," he replied. "Now make yourself useful and find the othahs."

Snapping off an exaggerated salute, Hunter sniffed the air and ducked down to check the ground just as the crack of a rifle sounded and a tree to his left exploded.

"This way!" he called, whipping around and dashing for the nearest cluster of thick foliage.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shag and Exile were forging their way through the jungle toward the noise, coated from head to foot in mud and – thanks to their walk – plastered also with leaves of more kinds than they had ever realized existed.

"Ruh rah ree ruh rah roo ruh rees," Shag complained.

"Shush-ski!" hissed Exile. "We do not want bad guys to know where we are!"

It was unbearably tense as they crept along, jumping whenever a shot sounded in the distance and standing tense as bow strings whenever all was silent. Stop and go, stop and go, they made their way through the jungle toward roughly where the trouble was.

Suddenly Exile caught Shag by the arm and motioned him to get down as a rustling off to their side heralded the arrival of two more goons.

"Did you hear the report over the comms?" asked a woman's voice. "They say these weirdos are dressed like dogs."

"Must be some kinda trick to weird us out," said a man in reply.

Exile tapped Shag on the shoulder and made a quick series of hand motions.

"I don't know," answered the woman. "I heard rumors before I split that the government was trying some kind of animal soldier experiment. Maybe they're sicking them on us now?"

Shag stared at Exile in befuddlement, not understanding his signals at all.

The man laughed. "Look, if they're sicking real live werewolves on us, I'll make you a coat from one of their pelts."

"Is much warmer on us-ski," said Exile, reaching out of the bushes and grabbing their gun barrels. With a wrenching twist, he yanked the rifles away and threw them behind him as he stepped out onto the path.

Trained fighters though they were, the man and woman stared at him in shock as he assumed a boxing stance. Six feet tall, decidedly canine in his features, and covered with forest debris from head to foot, he was like something out of a surrealist painting.

"Who is wanting some?" he challenged, slowly circling his fists. "Come get it."

Overcoming their surprise, the duo drew large knives and rushed Exile. They might have finished him there and then if, as he backed up, Shag hadn't turned to look away and bumped into a rotten tree trunk. The log toppled right in their paths, forcing them to halt their headlong charge.

"Good, comrade!" called Exile, seizing the diversion to land a haymaker on the man's jaw. "Do again!"

Shag looked around but saw no rotten trees. As the woman drew back to confront the new threat, Exile lunged forward and grabbed her knife hand.

"Forgive roughness," the husky offered, twisting sharply and forcing her hand behind her back. "I not so good-ski at the soft dances."

She grunted as the knife fell from her grasp and hastily reached her free hand to the side of her helmet. "Team Two to base! Encountering-!"

Exile pushed her to the ground, pulled her helmet free, and threw it away. As he did so a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was the man, coming to his senses and reaching for his weapon!

"Shag!" Exile called, pointing to the man. "Dog pile!"

The last thing the man saw for a good long while was a massive bulk of white hair descending straight onto him.

* * *

While Shag and Exile handled their pursuers, Hunter, Colleen, and Blitz were racing through the jungle for dear life.

"So what do we do now?" asked Colleen, looking skeptically to Blitz.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!"

"Think harder!"

Blitz wasn't the only one trying to think. Hunter kept looking behind himself at how close their attackers were getting. A good burst of super-speed could have easily put him out of gunshot, but that would leave his friends vulnerable.

 _Or would it?_ he wondered. "Keep running! I've got an idea!"

"What-?" questioned Blitz just before Hunter vanished, leaving only a trail of rustling leaves.

"Dat's it! I'm booting him off da team for running away on us!" snarled Blitz.

Colleen might have pointed out that 1) Blitz was only the leader for the one mission, and 2) if Hunter left then the rest of the team would be stuck on the island. (Hey, she might have been miffed at the guy, but seriously).

In any case, she held off on commentary for the sake of running, ducking, and zig-zagging to put whatever obstacles she and Blitz could between themselves and their pursuers. All at once there was a racket behind them as both of the pursuers started yelling. Several shots fired off, and then all was silent.

The cano-sapiens' radios crackled to life. _"It's cool, guys. Took care of 'em."_

Blitz was so startled that he forgot to watch where he was going and tripped over a rock. Colleen, meanwhile, focused on what Hunter had said. "What? Just like that?"

" _Yep. Hang on. I'll catch up with you guys."_

There was more rustling, and in moments Hunter was back among them as Blitz got up. "I figured they'd be too busy to track all of us, so I doubled back and got 'em from behind. Can't believe they fell for it; it's like the oldest trick in the book."

Colleen stared at him incredulously for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, thanks for that, guv'nuh."

Blitz dusted himself off and frowned. "Well, ya, I guess you ah back on da team," he muttered.

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. "Uh, okay. Cool."

Not one to loiter on having made a fool of himself, Blitz scowled. "Now how about finding the others, puppy boy?"

"Puppy Boy, huh?" asked Hunter, putting a hand to his chin. "I guess that's a good name for a superhero, but I think Hunter has a better-"

"Now!"

"Oh, right."

* * *

Hunter found the remaining Rovers hiding among some rocks not far from the base, evidently piled up from when it had been built.

"What ah you doing here?" asked Blitz incredulously.

"Shh!" hissed Exile. "He gestured down at himself and Shag. "Covered all in mud we look like rocks-ski. Where better to hide, dah?"

"Why are you covered in mud?" asked Colleen.

Shag and Exile both pointed at Hunter, who shrugged.

"Well," he offered in defense, "it works in movies, right?"

"Ro," put in Shag, "Row roo ree reh rih?"

Everyone stared at Hunter. "What'd he say?" whispered Colleen.

"I think he said, 'how do we get in?'" Hunter translated. "Either that or he prefers dry dog food over canned."

Shag put a paw to his chin as if considering the culinary question, then shook his head and jerked a thumb toward the base.

Blitz turned his gaze on Hunter. "You do dat running ting again. I'll take care of whoever's left."

Hunter shrugged. "Okay, works for me."

Colleen suddenly glanced toward the brush and gulped. "Uh, fellahs, I think we've got a bit of a sticky wicket 'ere."

The others looked up to see at least two dozen people in combat gear surrounding them with rifles at the ready.

"Oh, you must be sticky," Hunter greeted, pointing to one. "Or are you wicket? I always get you guys mixed up."

The rifles cocked, and in unison the Rovers raised their hands.

 **Well, shoot, that was a rough note for an ending. And no, I'm not sorry about the pun.**

 **Winter is a bit rougher on entry this year than in past ones, and I'm sorry to say my writing has been impacted. Never the less, I'm keeping the stories coming. Hopefully I can update all of my in-progress stories before Christmas.**

 **Had an interesting time writing this chapter, especially since it ended up flowing so differently from the original series. You guys will recognize some similarities, of course, especially the ending scene.**

 **Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to fave, follow, and review!**


	6. Out of the Fire and Into the Lava

Held at gunpoint, the Rovers waited while their captors debated what to do with them.

"I think the captain will want to see these things," said one, whom Hunter mentally labeled as 'Sticky.' "If they really are top-secret military experiments…"

"If they're military experiments, we have no idea what we're dealing with," argued another, dubbed 'Wicket.' "I say we shoot them here and find out what we can from autopsies."

"Uh, if it helps you guys out any," Hunter piped up, "we're all good on shots. Real-"

"Quiet!" they both snapped, cocking their rifles in unison.

Hunter raised his hands a little higher to demonstrate how cooperative he was being. "Okay. Being quiet. See?"

At length the guys with guns radioed someone they called Captain, who answered with a rather pronounced twang.

" _You're saying you found humanoid dogs fouling up our operation?"_

"Yes sir," answered Sticky. "They're packing some pretty high-end gear, so they've got to be from the military."

"Should we dispose of them, sir?" asked Wicket.

Silence reigned on the other end for several minutes. _"Search them and bring them in,"_ came the captain's reply. _"We can dispose of them later, but I want to see these dogs for myself."_

"Yes sir," both agreed.

It was clear none of the bad guys wanted to get too close to the Rovers after seeing the powers they possessed, but evidently they were even more afraid of their leader. After some consideration they spread the Rovers apart and made them lie down, each surrounded by four or five mercenaries with guns trained on them. One by one they were searched and stripped of anything that looked dangerous or useful. Some took this with relative quiet, minding the weapons pointed their way. Others… not so much.

"Hey, watch those 'ands, mistah!" snapped Colleen sharply during her pat-down. "You'll be 'earing from my lawyuh for this."

The man snorted. "I had no idea dogs were so modest," he cracked.

Hunter frowned, casting his eyes about for any means of escape or retaliation. If he could channel his speed for combat purposes he might be able to take out some of these guys, but all of them before Colleen and the others got hurt? Nope. Not doable. He'd just have to bide his time and wait for an opportunity.

Having endured their searches, the Rovers marched with their hands on their heads into the base, followed by a sideways forest of cocked rifles.

As they marched in, Hunter had a thought. "Psst! Colleen!" he hissed.

She glanced at him, and it was hard to tell whether her perturbed expression was from still being mad at him or from her undignified treatment.

"The whole mad at me thing… is that about in practice when-"

"No, but if you bring that up again it will be," she hissed.

"Hey, you two be quiet," snapped a goon Hunter had yet to nickname.

Hunter looked over his shoulder. "Hey, if you're marching us off to our deaths, the least you could do is let us patch-"

A gun barrel ramming him in the jaw quickly made the point clear.

"Uh, yeah. Got it. Being quiet now."

Colleen glanced out the corner of her eye at him as the team continued their walk in silence through corridors hollowed out of a mountain. Circumstances aside – and also overlooking how miffed she was at him – she had half a mind to accept his apology.

Just then, of course, there were a few bigger problems than whether or not to stay angry… such as how the heck they were supposed to stay alive.

* * *

The Rovers found themselves marched into a sizable control room deep within the mountain. Mostly comprised of natural stone walls, the place was scattered with computer terminals, large machines, and other things they couldn't begin to recognize.

One of the soldiers stepped ahead of them, saluting. "Captain, the mutants."

A middle-aged man in an officer's uniform with rolled-up sleeves and a tear at the shoulder rose to his feet. His tanned face seemed etched in a permanent scowl, and his hair – which was of a peculiar orange-yellow shade – looked like it had been gelled straight up and then cut level at the top with a katana or something. His eyes widened at the sight of the Rovers, and he strode towards them with long, swift steps.

"Well, it's either true or the most impressive costume party I've ever seen," he announced. His voice was haughty with a slight southern twang.

"Oh, yeah, we're from a costume party," Hunter offered weakly. "We just kinda got lost on our way to… Mardi Gras?"

"Be quiet," ordered the captain in a voice which left no room for debate. Drawing a revolver, he circled the Rovers one by one. With a quick darting motion, he grabbed Exile's ear and yanked hard.

"Gah!" cried the husky, jumping and clapping a hand to the offended part. The captain quickly stepped back, but kept calm.

"Incredible," he said with an air of awe. "So the rumors really are true."

Hunter frowned. "You didn't have to yank. We could have told you we were real."

The captain laughed. "Were you expecting champagne and a cheese platter when you invaded my base? I guess the army didn't train you mongrels properly before sending you to do a man's job."

"Humph!" huffed Colleen, folding her arms. "Rude _and_ blind."

Hunter cleared his throat. "Colleen," he muttered out the side of his mouth, "I don't think we should get him cranky."

Blitz, naturally, adopted a different approach; one that was all about cranky. "We know you ah de ones who sank that ship!" he snapped accusingly.

Without hesitation, the captain turned and fired his revolver. A bullet ricocheted off the floor by Blitz's foot, making the Doberman jump.

"Now you dogs be quiet," the man said coldly. "I'll tell you all about that ship, but I'll do it on my terms."

At a command and a flick of the still-smoking gun, the mercenaries marched the Rovers over to an elevator – the kind enclosed by a cage – and shut them in. The captain drew up a chair a short distance from the elevator and sat down with one foot propped up on his knee.

"You see, dogs, I am Captain Zachary Storm of the United States Marine Corps. And you, my canine guests, are just about in time to witness the destruction of the United States of America as you know them. You see, in that computer bank over there is a little souvenir I procured from that ship. It's a top-secret decoder which grants me total control of a very special satellite; the latest and greatest in anti-missile technology."

He turned and signaled to his subordinates. A large screen dominating one wall, which had been showing a map of the United States, now switched to a live camera feed somewhere outside. The camera moved as if attached to a helicopter, leaving its base (wherever that was) and going rapidly up the mountainside. A bay opened in the slope, and a missile shot out just a few feet from the camera.

As the Rovers watched, the rocket sped away over the island while the camera closed and zoomed several times to keep it in view. Storm, meanwhile, turned to the crew next to the computer bank where the decoder was and raised his hand; the thumb and middle finger braced together.

 _Snap!_

Out of nowhere, the missile exploded into a raging fireball. At the exact same instant the trees below it – close enough to be in the view but still too far to be effected by the initial fireball – exploded in fire as if they'd been struck by lightning. Birds flew up from the jungle while the Rovers gaped.

"Laser satellite," Storm explained simply. "Designed for frying incoming nuclear ordinance, of course. It could take out fifteen nuclear missiles in under a minute, but imagine if its power were unleashed on power grids, centers of communication, key points of infrastructure…"

The Rovers' mouths slowly fell open as Captain Storm's face twisted into a heinous grin. They didn't have much hands-on knowledge about the world outside their base, but between Professor Shepherd's schooling and their own private browsing of TV and the internet, it was clear what Storm was driving at. Stripped of power and communications, the public would be plunged into chaos and panic. Criminals would run amok. Food and water supplies would be disrupted. Whole cities or even states would go back to the stone age in a matter of days.

"You're probably wondering why I would do this," Storm went on. "Why would a decorated military officer want to unleash chaos and disorder on the United States?"

"Because you're mad at the NFL for letting the Cleaveland Browns move to Baltimore," answered Hunter. Everyone stared at him, and he shrugged. "Well, he's got their keychain sticking out of his pocket. Seemed worth a guess."

Storm paused and glanced down at his pocket. "I must say I'm impressed," he admitted, "but no – although I may have to remember that after I take over."

Colleen shook her head, gazing half-lidded at Hunter. "Are you a member of the Nut of the Month Club?" she asked.

Presumably she was asking this of Hunter, but Storm's eyes flashed. Snatching his revolver up and pointing it at her, he launched into a crimson-faced tirade.

"Don't you disrespect me like they did in the Marines! Just because I opened fire without a direct order, I… was… court-martialed." He spoke these last three words slowly as if still unable to grasp the ignominity of it, then launched back into his raging tone. "They gave me a dishonorable discharge! Big mistake! Now I discharge them!"

Hunter couldn't help noticing that Storm paused at odd points throughout his tirade, and wondered if the man had studied acting under William Shatner.

Storm glanced at his watch. "The United States government has fifteen minutes left to answer my demands," he stated, "but while we work on that I can decide what to do with you five."

"I suppose the fact that we're one of a kind doesn't hold any meaning for ya," Colleen replied.

The man stroked his chin. "I would like to know how to make soldiers like you," he mused, "but given how resourceful you've all proven to be, I can't risk keeping you around. Take them to the lift."

Another round of prodding and gesturing with rifles herded the Rovers towards a little alcove. As soon as they were all inside, a set of bars slid up from below and shut them in.

"And I thought they only did setups like this in cartoons," Hunter observed.

"That's where I got the idea," Storm admitted. "You're in the maintenance lift for this base's primary source of power, you see. Normally it's used for working on the tunnels and passages, but it has other merits besides, as you're about to observe."

At a nod from the captain, one of the men pushed a button next to the cage. As a blast door slid shut, Storm threw off a parting wave and a sinister smile.

"Farewell, dogs. It's been very nice knowing you."

Plunged into pitch darkness, the cano-sapiens felt themselves descending. Each one was wondering what lay before them. Electrocution? Drowning? Cooking by a nuclear power supply? There was no telling.

"Nice going, puppy-boy," growled Blitz. "If you hadn't been such a smaht mouth he might have let us live."

"Look who's talking," Exile grumped.

Colleen took a more tactful approach – by her standards, at least. "Alright, Fluffy. You're the boss. How do we get out of this?"

"Re?" asked Shag.

"No, the othuh boss," Colleen quipped.

Blitz was silent a moment. "I don't know," he admitted. "But like any good leadah I'm up for ideas."

Colleen scowled so coldly they could almost feel it in the dark. "'Ere's one: resign now."

"Guys, guys," Hunter interrupted. "Arguing won't get us out of this. Now what can we actually…"

The sound of buttons being pushed interrupted him. "What's that?" he asked.

"Is me," answered Exile. "Am trying to work these controls, but nyet-ski!"

"Probably disabled," Hunter mused. "The bad guys always disable the controls if the good guys don't blast them."

"Any other ideas?" asked Colleen.

"I'm thinking. I'm thinking."

At that moment the lift lurched to a stop. The blast door opened to reveal a corridor lined with nothing but rock. Then without warning the bars slid open and the floor sprang up under them, catapulting the five out into the passage. The doors slammed behind them with a resounding clang.

"Yet another unexpected twist," Hunter groaned. "Bummer."

"Speaking of twists, would you mind getting off my arm?" asked Colleen.

The Rovers untangled themselves and looked around. "What can you see, Exile?" asked Hunter.

The husky looked around. "To our left side is empty passage," he replied. "To our right side is big steel door shut-"

At that moment the steel door began to creak open, and a reddish-orange glow spilled out.

"Uh, tell me that's not what I think it is," Hunter uttered as a wave of intense heat hit them like someone had opened an oven.

 **And another chapter done. I know you're all tired of my apologies, so I'll just say I hope it was worth the wait. :)**

 **I have taken some liberties with the laser satellite, drawing my basis from the now-defunct "Star Wars" program. The basic concept was, as described here, a laser satellite or several of them designed to target incoming nuclear missiles and scrap their warheads or blow up their fuel tanks. While such satellites were never actually made (as far as we know, at least), I have depicted their use as faithfully as possible – by, for example, making the beam itself invisible and showing only its effects. Contrary to popular media (such as the original RR cartoons), no laser satellite with existing tech or anything reasonable in the near future could accomplish mass destruction on its own. However, used for surgical strikes on key infrastructure targets as Storm plans to do here, the consequences could unleash devastation rivaling that of a nuclear weapon.**

 **Easter Eggs: Star Wars**

 **btw, I think I may go back to working on stories based on fan interest, so be sure to fave, follow, and review if you want more ASAP. Happy reading!**


	7. Situation Normal: All Fried Up

Overall, the team of cano-sapiens hadn't been in too many tight spots in their brief careers. All the same, it seemed safe to say that stuck in an empty passage with doors slammed shut next to them and a slow-moving tide of lava headed their way… was probably an all-time worst.

"Well, look on the bright side," Hunter remarked cheerfully. "Things can't get a lot worse, can they?"

Blitz slapped himself int eh face. "Huntuh don't you know it _always_ gets worse when you say dat?"

Hunter shrugged. "Well, now we'll have to find some way out of here so it can, so let's get busy."

They frantically searched the passage, trying to find some kind of emergency override controls or something. Exile, Blitz, and Colleen ran their eyes and hands over the walls for any kind of panel or escape tunnel. Shag tried desperately to pry open the doors that had dropped them into this trap. Hunter, thinking quickly, darted as close to the lava as he could on the logic that it would be the only chance he got to check that end of the tunnel. Even at a distance, the molten rock was blistering hot. He wanted to lose some of his uniform, but Colleen was in the room, so that was kind of out.

"You guys find anything?" he called.

"Nothing," Colleen replied.

"Nyet," echoed Exile.

"Nein," added Blitz.

"Ro," finished Shag, sounding utterly in despair – which, to be fair, was a pretty reasonable reaction at the moment.

Hunter ran down to the other end of the tunnel, activating a light on his collar as he went. "Keep looking! I'll see if there's a way out down heeeeerrrrrreeee!"

They stared after him in confusion. "Why did his voice do fade-ski?" asked Exile, puzzled.

Colleen started after him. "Sounded like he fell off a-"

"Hundred foot drop over that way," he reported, dashing back. "Unless you guys can run up walls too, I would not recommend it."

The situation was grim, and the lava was only getting closer.

"Not a pretty picture we've got 'ere, guvs," Colleen remarked.

Hunter stared at the advancing wall of glowing red liquid. "If only we had some way to slow the lava down or cool it off."

Exile jumped in the air like he'd just sat on a fork. "Hunter, you are genius comrade!" he cried in delight.

"I am not," Hunter protested. Then, pausing, "What's a genius comrade?"

Heedless to the question, the husky darted over to Shag and began rummaging through his fur. "When they were searching us for weapons-ski, I hid one on comrade Shag!" Over the sheepdog's giggling at the ticklish search, he emerged with the pistol-like device.

"The Directed Energy Weapon!" exclaimed Colleen.

"Blitz Blaster," Blitz argued.

"I don't care what you call it, it's just our ticket out of here!" exclaimed Hunter. "Exile, set it to cold and point it at the lava. Maybe we can cool it down and buy ourselves some time to find a way out."

Exile switched the weapon to freeze and pointed it at the lava, but nothing happened except that it gave off a high-pitched whirring sound. The team all stared at it anxiously, expecting a blue ray or some kind of cooling mist.

"It's broken!" shouted Blitz. "We're toast!"

"Wait, not yet," Hunter countered. "Remember that laser thing Storm was using? Maybe you can't see this one either."

"What if you're wrong?" asked Colleen, frowning.

He shrugged. "Then I guess we die trying instead of just die?"

It wasn't like they had any better options, so Exile trained the weapon on the front line of lava and kept it running. To the Rovers' excitement, the front line of the wave began to darken.

"Rah-roo!" howled Shag, raising his fists in the air.

His joy was short-lived as fresh lava simply poured over the cooling line, burying it completely.

"Is it just me or is it getting 'ot in 'ere?" asked Colleen.

Amid the mounting unease, Hunter cast about for another plan. "Did you happen to save any other weapons in Shag's fur?" he asked hopefully. "Maybe a missile launcher or something?"

"Nyet."

"Well, thought I'd ask." Things were looking bad; really bad. Hunter looked every which-way for an escape. _There's gotta be a way out. It's always like that in cartoons._

Problem was, this was more like a real-life show, like that blacksmithing one he'd been watching with Exile the week before on the History Channel.

 _Wait a minute._

"Exile!" he exclaimed. "Switch it to hot and point it at the doors, now!"

The others stared at him like he'd gone nuts. "You want to make it hotter?!" demanded the husky.

"No, listen. If we heat up those doors and then cool them down, maybe we can make them brittle enough to break through!"

"Ruh roo ray-ree?" asked Shag.

Hunter might have been crazy, but Exile had caught the method to his madness. Besides, at that point he for one was willing to try anything. Switching the output, he aimed at the doors and pulled the trigger again. At first it seemed to have no effect, but then the metal began to glow ever so slightly.

"Okay, now cool it down!" shouted Bllitz.

"Is not hot enough-ski!" answered Exile, sweeping the beam up and down the door.

"It's bloody hot enough for me, guv!" Colleen complained.

Indeed, they were all sweltering, but Exile remembered enough of the show to know that if they didn't get the metal hot enough before 'quenching' it, they risked wasting all the effort – and he hadn't much effort left to spare.

"Focus it on a smaller area," Colleen advised. "We just need enough space to get Shag's hands in there."

None of them cared to point out that Shag's hands – or paws, whatever – were the biggest in the bunch, but Exile did as she advised.

At last there was nothing left for it. The lava was still at a distance, but already the heat radiating from it was sheer agony. All of them panted. Colleen was leaning on the wall. Exile was barely able to stand, and Shag was on the verge of passing out altogether. To top it all off, the blaster's battery indicator was dangerously low.

"Is it hot enough now, Exile?" asked Hunter.

Exile checked the meter. "It better be," he answered, switching the output to maximum cold.

It was quite literally do or die now.

Up in the control room, Captain Storm watched grinning as his technicians worked busily on final preparations. Their first target would be the power grids for Las Vegas and San Francisco. He'd been tempted to go after Washington DC itself, but between the power loss, property damage, and sheer social chaos such strikes would unleash he could bring the country to its knees in a matter of minutes. Thousands of people who called 911 if the internet was down, all instantly turned into looters and rioters. It was a can't-miss.

"How soon until the satellite is in position?" he asked.

"One minute and forty-seven seconds, sir," came the answer.

The captain rubbed his hands together. "Put a countdown on screen."

The main computer monitor dominating one wall switched from a map indicating the sites in question and the satellite's relative coordinates to steadily descending numbers.

' _Perhaps I should call my old commanding officer,'_ he thought, his fingers hovering over the button which would in exactly one minute and thirty-eight seconds unleash the greatest military strike since Hiroshima.

"Captain," asked one of the guards, "shall I break out the drinks?"

Storm considered. He'd been planning to save the champagne for after the grand strike, but a good toast at the moment of the attack would serve to make it more memorable as the moment he officially crowned himself as the most powerful man in America. "Alright, why not? But make it snappy." He raised a hand and snapped his fingers for emphasis.

The guards hastily descended on the cases of the clear, sparkling beverage, opening bottled and passing out glasses. Storm was in a good mood for the moment, but any snap of his fingers meant his fingers might snap you. No one wanted to be the one caught holding up his perfect moment.

Accepting one of the tall, fluted glasses, he stood up and paused in dramatic silence to savor the moment. He wanted to fix every sensation in his memory from the glass in his hand to the clicking of keys all around and the whirring of the maintenance lift at his back.

' _Wait, why is the lift running?'_

As he turned around the doors slid open and the bars opened up.

"Surprise!" shouted Hunter, darting into the middle of the room.

Storm and his goons gazed in shock at the cano-sapien in their midst. Naturally it was the captain who managed to speak first.

"Shoot him! Shoot them all!"

The guards grabbed their guns hailstorm of bullets ripped through where Hunter… uh, _had_ been standing.

"Okay, seriously?" he asked. "You guys need to come up with better dialogue. Viewers are gonna complain."

Another barrage targeted him… and missed.

"Shoot over here," he suggested brightly.

Gunfire.

"Now shoot over here."

More gunfire.

"Shoot over here."

And again.

"Now shoot over here."

As Hunter distracted the goon squad, Storm searched for the others. The one that looked like a yeti was slumped against a wall, panting his lungs out. The husky and collie were nowhere in sight, and the doberman-

That was as far as he got before a computer tower plowed into his face.

"You're not hogging all the macho around heah, Huntah!" shouted Blitz, slashing another tower free of its cords and flinging it at the tightest cluster of guards he could find.

Behind the main computer bank, Colleen and Exile overheard the doberman's boast.

"Honestly," uttered Colleen under her breath. "That bloke's worse than Huntuh."

"What's wrong between you and Hunter anyway?" asked Exile as the two of them searched through the tangle of cables and other equipment. "He seems pretty good-ski."

Colleen huffed as she pulled aside a mass of cords. "You might think differently as a lady," she remarked cryptically. Then her eyes lit on something. "Hey, I found it!"

Exile turned his gaze on the device in question. "Dah, that's it alright."

She examined it narrowly, including the web of cables running in and out of it. "Now the real question is, 'ow do we get it loose?"

Meanwhile in te main part of the room, the rest of the team continued to sow chaos.

"Freeze, both of you!" shouted one guard a bit sharper than the rest. He had his rifle trained on Shag. "One move and the sheepdog's a ru-"

"Whoops! Watch where you point that thing," Hunter advised, grabbing the rifle and smacking the butt end into the man's nose. "Come on, Shag! Join the party!"

Shag wanted nothing more than to get out of there, and answered by crawling under a table. Unfortunately his bulk didnt quite fit, causing it to fall over. This proved doubly unfortunate for the technicians who happened to be standing in its way.

Storm was beside himself. "How did they get out of there?!" he raged, trying to shoot Hunter.

Hunter seized the opportunity to dart behind him and swing his boot up into the traitor's backside, knocking him flat. "Aw, don't take it too hard," he advised. "We're just that good, you know?"

Colleen slipped out from behind the bank of computers, doing a jump and spin kick into a soldier's face. Two rapid punches downed a third. Eyeing the chaos in the room, she spotted the crown jewel and decided to take him out.

"Checkmate, guv," she uttered under her breath, rushing Storm himself.

Storm caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and whirled to shoot at Colleen, but just before he pulled the trigger a speeding blur slammed into his arms, sending the shots ceiling-ward and him spinning to the ground.

Colleen came to a halt as Hunter stopped. "I 'ad 'im, you know," she complained.

He dusted off his hands. "As much as I'd love to ask what's got your tail in a knot, are we good to go?"

She was tempted to settle matters there and then, Colleen decided to table the matter until later. "Exile's got it."

Despite being dazed from the blow, Storm caught their conversation and looked instinctively towards the door, where Exile was slipping out with a rather familiar object under his arm.

"THE DECODER!" he shouted loudly enough to be heard even over the gunfire. "THEY STOLE THE DECODER!"

"And that's our cue to exit!" called Hunter, sowing what confusion he could as the others made for the exit before making a beeline out himself. "Close it! Close it!" he shouted as he and his reluctant companion slipped through. Shag and Exile slammed the door shut, leaning heavily on it as a staccato cacophony of gunfire beat against it.

"What idiot decided on a bulletproof door?!" raged Storm.

"You did, sir," someone answered, and a moment later a thud announced that the door was faceproof too.

Hunter took the decoder off Exile's hands. "Okay, got what we came for," he stated. "Anyone know the way out?"

Nobody did.

"Yet another unexpected twist," the mix shrugged. "Bummer."

"So what do we do-ski now?" asked Exile.

The door shook as Storm and his men tried to force it open. Hunter thought fast and handed the decoder back to Exile.

"Colleen, you take charge. You, Shag, and Exile can find a way out and get back to the sub. Blitz and I will keep these guys busy and meet you ASAP."

Blitz gulped. "Uh, come again?"

 **Well, how's that for closing out a chapter? My thanks to everyone for the encouraging feedback thus far, and rest assured I'll be keeping up the efforts on moving this and other stories forward. I've actually been considering moving this reboot on to something a little more ambitious if the support and talent to make it work are there, so keep the feedback coming!**

 **Also, nobody caught the Star Wars reference, though The Mr. E took a shot at it. It was actually Hunter's remark about the good guys blasting the controls that would have helped them escape.**


	8. Leap of Faith

**Before we begin I want to announce something: Today is my birthday, and you all get the gifts! Zootopia fans rejoice, because to commemorate the occasion I've updated three stories and added an all-new one. So once you've read (and reviewed?), feel free to check out Rendez-Bleu, Prank War Collaboration, and the all-new OC Albums: Taelia. Thanks again for all your support.**

Since being a puppy, Colleen had always felt a bit out of place. It was one of the reasons why she had run away from the breeding farm where she'd been born not too long after most of her brothers and sisters went to their future homes. Being the only female on the team, and the only one with no special powers to speak of, had only increased her sense of being a misfit.

Leading the pack in running for their lives while Hunter and Blitz hung back… well, that was a new low even against that kind of backdrop.

"I still think this is a rotten idea," she admitted as she, Shag, and Exile made a break out the exit.

Shag rumbled something, running behind her with the decoder tucked under his arm.

"What was that?" she asked out of habit, despite being a little too busy at the moment to care.

"I think Shag said he hopes Hunter and Blitz have plan," Exile offered. "Either that or 'Please pass the piano.'"

With a decisive groan, the sheepdog smacked himself in the face.

"Keep running!" ordered Colleen. "We've got to get to the sub and get 'round by the base before something happens to them!"

Exile must have detected something in her tone, because his next words, despite being forced by urgency, bore a tone of encouragement. "I wish we had not left-ski too," he admitted, "but mission is big! We must get decoder back!"

Deep down about the only thing Colleen could think of was how much she hated herself running out on her teammates, annoyed as she was with them. She even managed to forget for the moment what pig Blitz could be or how annoyed she still was with Hunter. If something happened to them, she knew she'd never forgive herself for it.

At the same time, Exile's words of encouragement did manage to get in there somewhere. The husky was right. They did have a job to do, and the ones inside had chosen to sacrifice themselves if necessary to see it through.

Even as she thanked Exile for the encouragement, though, she resolved deep down that if anything happened to either of the two inside, the military wouldn't be getting their decoder back. As far as she was concerned the ocean could _have_ it.

* * *

Inside the base, Hunter held off a group of approaching guards with a pistol he'd managed to nab. The guards were getting closer, though, trading turns to move forward from cover to cover or provide covering fire to keep the retriever mix pinned down.

"Don't suppose you guys would care to just hold hands around a campfire and sing-" Hunter had to duck back as a closer angle allowed the assaulting party to cut a wedge off his breathing room. "Okay, forget I asked."

Hoping to discourage their advance, he pushed the guard he and Blitz had managed to K.O. across the floor and into the open, right at the edge of his usable space. Slipping a hand into the man's pocket, he managed to find another magazine and pop it into his weapon, swiftly firing off three more rounds as his adversaries drew closer. Not only did the option of covering fire allow them to advance, but it also bought them the luxury of reloading while their allies pressed the battle. He, on the other hand…

' _Come_ on, _Blitz. Where are you?'_ he thought. He'd have to think later of a way to make that fit the tune of 'Scooby Doo Where Are You,' but at the moment he was just a little too busy.

As if on cue, a sudden ruckus of screams in the rear group caused the front ones to halt their firing for a moment. Turning to the noise, they and Hunter were treated to the sight of the Doberman plowing through their comrades, whirling a mass of teeth, claws, and punches reminiscent of those Tasmanian Devil cartoons. The gunmen were trained fighters, but the close quarters prevented them from turning to shoot Blitz for fear of hitting their allies. Hunter, seizing the moment, fired at the ground by the mercenaries' feet to rattle them further. When his gun went empty, he shot past both groups and waved Blitz after him. "Blitz, c'mon!"

Much as Blitz hated to abandon a good brawl, he turned and raced after Hunter around a sharp bend, narrowly avoiding a barrage of gunfire that came after them.

"So what's de plan now, mutt-boy?" he asked, catching up as Hunter momentarily dropped to normal running speed.

Hunter tried to talk in a low tone. "Well… I'm thinking… we get back to the control room where everyone was. With any luck they'll be all over the place trying to find us while we head for the last place they'll look."

"And if dey're dere, we pound the sissie losahs into next week, yah?"

"Yeah, we could do that. Come on!"

To Blitz's disappointment, they found the control room empty. Hunter immediately made for the handful of security monitors still intact and looked for any sign of the others. To his relief, the rest of the team seemed to be long gone while scattered groups of Storm's forces looked for any sign of them.

"Dere dey ah!" exclaimed Blitz, looking over Hunter's shoulder and spotting the groups. "Let's get dem now!"

"Well, personally I'd prefer to find some way of distracting them and then get out of here. We got what we came for, and Colleen and the others will be waiting."

Blitz started to object to the idea of leaving any enemies standing, but then it occurred to him that if he died he'd be bound to lose the bet with Exile. If there was one thing he hated more than losing a fight it was losing face. "So what ah we supposed to do?" he demanded sharply.

Hunter shrugged. "I dunno. You suppose there's a button for the fire alarm or something?"

They both looked around, but it was Blitz who first spotted the flashing red button on the wall well away from all other consoles with a protective clear box over it.

"I got it!" he exclaimed, pulling away the cover.

Whipping towards him, Hunter spotted the sign above. His eyes popped out. "Blitz, no! Don't touch that!"

"Why?" challenged the Doberman. The question was academic, as by the time it occurred to him to heed Hunter's advice he had already slapped the button. A blaring alarm filled the base, and a computerized voice droned from everywhere.

" _Emergency protocols activated. The base will self-destruct in five minutes. Immediate evacuation is advised."_

Hunter could only stare, then facepalm. "That's why."

* * *

By the time the others made it back to the sub, Colleen was running all-out and at least twenty strides ahead of the others. Shimmying down the rope, she dropped the last six feet to the roof and only avoided a serious injury by misjudging her landing and nearly falling off the sub entirely.

"Colleen!" shouted Exile, climbing down after her.

She ignored his concerns, managed to drag herself back up onto the roof, and hastily opened the latch. Dropping down inside, she rushed to the control console and opened the communications system.

"Huntuh!" she barked, accessing the com link in his collar. "What's going on?!"

"Well, the good news is Blitz managed to clear out the base."

Colleen jerked back a bit at that. Blitz had managed that all by himself? Maybe she hadn't given him enough credit either after all.

Still, there was the other shoe waiting to drop. "What's the bad news?"

"We've got about four minutes to get out before the place goes kaboom."

As Exile dropped through the hatch, Colleen scrambled about the controls. "Get your beacons going!" she snapped, yanking the sub out of its slumber. "Head for the ocean and we'll come get you."

"Roger that," Hunter affirmed, and by the tone of his voice she suspected he was saluting.

Exile's question of what he should do, and Colleen's own answer that he should get Shag inside and shut the hatch, prevented her from hearing what Hunter said next.

"Just have to find the ocean."

* * *

Finding the sea wasn't as easy as one might have thought in an island base. Hunter darted out into the hall and scented the air for the nearest scent of salt water, but this base had been in place long enough that the smell of the sea was pretty much everywhere.

"Hurry up!" snapped Blitz.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," Hunter defended, sniffing madly. "I can't get a lock on the nearest way out."

"Den pick a way!" snapped Blitz.

Trying to concentrate, Hunter caught – or thought he caught – a whiff of salt that was just a little stronger than the rest.

"This way!" he shouted, grabbing Blitz by the arm and nearly yanking it out of joint as he dashed off down the hall.

Through zig-zagging corridors, Hunter raced at breakneck speed while the computerized voice droned that they now had about two minutes to get out or die. At every turn the scent grew stronger. It had to be close! They were right on top of-!

He was running so fast that he barely had time to stop at the edge of a sharp drop off where the hallway seemed to break off into empty space. Evidently some kind of avalanche had hit the outside not too long ago, breaking loose a section of hall that had yet to be repaired. Hunter slammed his heels into the floor, screeching to a halt and nearly catapulting Blitz into the open.

"HEY!" yelped the Doberman. "Watch what- oomph! - you ah doing!"

"Sorry!" Hunter called, pulling him back to solid footing. He gazed out over the ocean, debating their next move. There was no time to look for another exit, but the water was a long way down.

"What now, smahty-pants?!" demanded Blitz.

" _The base will self-destruct in one minute,"_ announced the computerized voice. _"If you have not evacuated, make peace with your gods."_

Hunter might have groaned if he hadn't been so preoccupied. Who programmed a death notice with a sense of humor?

"Guess we've gotta jump for it," he reasoned. "It might be deep enough."

"Huntah, you're crazy! We'll nevah make it!" Blitz wasn't afraid, or so he told himself. He just preferred fights and bullets over things like being smashed on sharp rocks.

Hunter, on the other hand, was more focused on escaping by any means possible. "Come on, Blitz. It's our only way out of here!"

"But I'm a terrible swimmah!"

The alarm notified them that they had forty-five seconds now. Hunter, seeing that reason was pointless, decided to try another tactic.

"You're not afraid, are you Blitz?" he asked.

The Doberman whirled. "Nobody calls me scared, you got dat?"

Hunter stepped up to the window. "See you at the bottom, then. And keep your legs straight. Feels a lot better than a belly flop."

With that, he was gone.

Blitz stepped up to the edge, scowling and feeling like he had just been played for a chump somehow. "If we die I sweah you'll pay for it!" he shouted after his colleague. Then, as the voice announced thirty seconds to live, he ran back a few paces, rushed forward, and threw himself into space.

 **Well, that wraps up another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **It might interest you all to know that I listened to a lot of Power Rangers music as I was writing this chapter (four or five themes and related songs on a loop to be exact), which hopefully helped to inject some added action and energy.** **I also tapped what I could of military tactics, with the mercenaries employing a strategy recommended by Navy Seal** **C** **ade Courtl** **e** **y for handling active shooter situations on the show** _ **'Surviving Disaster.'**_ **All in all it was fun to write and very dramatic, especially with the team dynamics pushed to the fore as the team fought or ran for their lives. You might notice that in this chapter Colleen shows a much kinder view of her male colleagues, which I deliberately arranged so as to have at least some positive leanings towards Hunter, Blitz, and Exile each. Will the next chapter reveal her grievance with Hunter and the outcome of Blitz and Exile's rivalry? We'll see. ;)**


	9. Return to Abnormality

For a hundred-plus-foot drop, the plunge toward the waves below didn't leave much time to think. The sheer adrenaline fogging Hunter's thoughts didn't help much either as wind whipped up his nose and past his ears. Somewhere in the chaos of _I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie_ mingled with _Thisissocoolthisissocoolthisissocool_ somehow both hammering at once, he managed to remember a brief lesson on how to handle long drops into water. Snapping his feet together like a soldier standing at attention, he plastered his arms to his sides and as an afterthought cupped his hands to guard his crotch against the impact.

The surface slammed against his feet like a hammer, and the cold water drove the breath from his lungs as he entered. Hastily spreading his arms and legs to break his descent, he pressed up and forward for the surface, breaking just in time to hear a holler and a loud splash behind him.

"Blitz!" he shouted, turning around. When the Doberman didn't quickly resurface, he ducked his head under and peered through the churning greenish water. The Doberman was down below, a good deal deeper than Hunter had gone and making haphazard progress for the surface. His movements were uncoordinated, and he seemed to be pushed every which-way stroke by stroke in the seething sea water.

Popping up for a deep breath, Hunter dove down toward Blitz. The professor _had_ been giving them life guarding lessons, and though none were pro grade yet Hunter did his best to remember everything he had learned.

' _Let's see, arms around the chest…'_ he jerked back to avoid a swipe from Blitz, who in his panic had unsheathed his claws. _'Oh yeah, come from behind.'_

Circling as fast as he could while Blitz, confused, tried to follow, he managed to get behind the Doberman. Grabbing him around the chest, he kicked hard for the surface hoping he'd get there before the Doberman ran out of air – or before he did for that matter.

Their heads breached, and as soon as he was done gasping he ordered, "Relax, Blitz! I've got you!"

Blitz thrashed about, then settled down. "Wha-ah-aht happened?" he asked as if stunned.

"Well, let's just say your diving form was off."

* * *

It didn't take long for the other three in the sub to pick up Hunter and Blitz's beacons and pick them up. Colleen radioed the news to Professor Shepherd while Exile and Shag helped the two get dried off as best they could.

" _Excellent work,"_ Professor Shepherd commended as the males came into the main cockpit. _"You're good, good dogs."_

"We would have been toast-ski if it wasn't for Hunter," Exile commended. "He kept the bad guys off our backs in the jungle."

Colleen seemed then to remember that she was still annoyed with Hunter, but folding her arms she shrugged. "He did come up with our escape plan from the lava too," she admitted.

"Ran reh rah ruy ri-reeh ro-re rah," Shag added.

Professor Shepherd sighed. _"Remind me to get your vocal chords working, please,"_ he remarked wearily.

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. "He, uh, says I kept the bad guys busy while the others escaped," he offered modestly, "but Blitz-"

"Okay, okay!" snapped Blitz, throwing up his hands. "I made a small mistake. I guess you're not such a stinky leadah aftuh all."

"Hey, thanks, that's nice," Hunter smiled. "I just wanted to say you helped too."

Colleen smiled at Blitz. "That was eloquently put, guv."

Blitz smiled at having actually gotten a compliment from the collie. "Danke-shay, pretty she-dog?"

Her brief smile gave way to annoyance again, but then turned to a smirk. "You're welcome, _Fluffy."_

Blitz's face glazed over. "I'm tinking of changing my name."

"But I like fluffy," offered Exile.

Professor Shepherd's sigh came through the radio. _"Well, take your time coming back to base. You've all earned some rest."_

"Aye-aye, sir," Hunter replied with a salute. "I'm just sorry we couldn't bring you the bad guys too."

" _Let's leave them to the authorities. You got the decoder back, and I'll send word to my friend in the army to collect it. That's the important thing."_

* * *

On the way back to HQ, Hunter felt a growing sense of unease as he looked across the aisle at Colleen. He was tired, and more than that he wasn't sure what to say. All the same, he felt like he _should_ say _something_.

When he caught her looking at him too, he made up his mind and crossed over to her.

"Colleen, could you come to the back with me for a minute?"

She eyed him doubtfully. "Is this more about the same thing as earlier?"

Blitz and Exile pricked their ears and looked back at the two conversing Rovers.

"Kinda yes, kinda no." Hunter looked pretty uneasy. "Will you just come to the back?"

"What's so hush-hush?" pressed Blitz irritably.

"Private stuff," Hunter countered.

Colleen looked indecisive for a moment, then got out of her seat and followed him through the doors to the main body of the sub. Blitz started up to leave, but Exile reached out a hand and grabbed him by the arm.

"Hunter said it was private-ski."

Blitz scowled, but sat back down.

Cloistered in the back of the vessel, Colleen folded her arms. "So, what's this all about, then?"

Hunter bit his lip. "Could you do me a favor and just act for one moment like I really have no idea why you're mad at me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Well I don't need much work to act like you're that thick."

Raising a hand to his head, he sighed. "Could you please just tell me? I hate having you mad at me, really."

After a moment's consideration, she propped her hands on her hips. "Remembuh when we were practicing a couple of days ago in the dojo?"

Hunter nodded. He'd sparred with the others pretty regularly, though it was only his fourth favorite exercise after track, pool, and obstacle course. "I remember."

"And do you remembuh what you said aftah I slammed you with that flip?"

He thought for a moment. He had an unfortunate habit of not always thinking when he talked, so sometimes it was hard to remember what he'd said.

"I think I said ow when I landed," he allowed. The impact had come down right on his tail.

"Aftah that."

Again he thought. "Something about losing?"

"Your exact words, as I remembah, were 'I can't believe I keep getting trashed by a girl.'"

Now he remembered. That was the part right before she walked off to the showers – which at the time he had just taken as a sign that they were done practicing. "Oh. Uh, I guess that kinda bothered you?"

"Kind of bothered me?" she snapped, flinging out her arms. "You, Blistah, Exile; is all anyone around here sees the fact that I'm female? It's like Shag's the only one who considahs me a membah of the team."

She turned to go, but he darted around to block her and held up his hands. "Wait, Colleen, hold up," he pleaded. "I can explain."

She eyed him dubiously, then folded her arms again. "This bettah be good."

"Yeah, listen," he offered meekly. "I didn't mean to say you're not a part of this team. I don't just practice with you so much because you look nice – which you do," he added lest she misunderstand that too.

His plan seemed to backfire as she lowered her eyelids. "That's not helping."

"Sorry. What I mean is, I think you're a great fighter. That's why I practice with you so much. But when the professor explained to use in science that guys tend to have stronger bones and denser muscles, I kind of figured I should be putting up a better fight than that. You'd pounded me six times that day."

She raised an eyebrow. Now that he mentioned it she did recall Professor Shepherd mentioning that. Between training for missions and fights he had made it a point to educate them on an array of subjects including anatomy and biology to help them understand their new bodies. At the time she recalled thinking that it figured guys were denser than girls, but looking at it now, she could see why Hunter might think what he'd thought.

"So you really think I'm the best fightah?" she asked, probing for a weak spot in his defense.

"Honestly, yeah," he agreed. "I mean, Blitz is tough and all, but you should have seen him last week when he broke a nail on the monkey bars. Guy screams like a… like a scared chicken."

She caught the gist of what he'd been about to say, but made no remark on it. "No wondah he was using the machine latah," she mused.

Hunter nodded. "And Exile's… well, he's actually pretty good too, but you've definitely got the best moves."

She'd heard enough. "Alright. I suppose I can let the whole beaten by a girl thing go _if_ you promise not to say it again."

He nodded, visibly relieved. "Deal, but uh, do me a favor? Next time I say something that bugs you, could you maybe just suppose I meant it some way that wouldn't?"

Considering, she met him halfway with the promise to give him a fair chance next time he talked himself into a hole. They shook on it and headed for the front of the sub. As they reentered the cockpit something else occurred to him. "Come to think of it, can you teach me that move when we get back? You know; the height you get on those roundhouse kicks. I think that's gonna come in handy."

Colleen saw Blitz prick up his ears and turn around with a jealous look. An idea formed in her mind and she reached out a hand to catch the retriever by the elbow.

"Back to the rear, Huntie," she said, smiling and waving just her fingers at the Doberman. "I've got a proposition for you."

"A propo-whatsit?" asked Hunter, scrunching his face.

"Just come on," she urged, giving him a tug through the door.

Blitz got up and moved to follow before Exile could stop him, but found that Colleen had led Hunter into an equipment room and shut the door.

"Gaaah."

* * *

Bright the next morning, Shag found Blitz in the base lounge watching movies; chick flicks of all things.

"Ruh roo rah-rih?" asked the sheep dog.

"What?" asked Blitz, frowning.

Shag facepawed, then pointed from the screen to Blitz and back again.

"No, I was here first," Blitz grumped.

Shag was about to sigh and try again when the Doberman added, "I'm trying to think of how I can get the pretty she-dog."

"Roh." Shag reached into his fur and held out a folded note. "Ruh rah-reeh," he offered.

"I'm watching TV. Go away."

Shag sighed and shoved the note toward Blitz until finally he snatched it and took a look. His interest spiked when he saw what was within. "It's from Colleen!" he exclaimed.

Shag shook his head. That was literally what he had just said. On the other hand at least Blitz actually knew her name. That was progress… sort of.

Upon reading the note, Blitz jumped up and dashed out the door, dropping the remote on the way. Shag watched him go, then shrugged and plunked down on the couch. As the teen couple on screen sang something about breaking free, he picked up the remote and switched to a cooking show.

"Reh-ree-ruh rih ruh ruh rurry," he mumbled.

* * *

Blitz made a beeline for Colleen's room, beaming the whole way. The note had said to meet her there, and had even had a heart or two scrawled below. Better still, she had actually used his name!

' _I knew she couldn't resist my-"_

He screeched to a stop when he found Exile coming his way, whistling a rather paltry tune. They met right outside Colleen's door.

"What ah you doing heah?" demanded Blitz.

Exile looked nonplussed and folded his arms in answer. "That that it is your business-ski," he quipped, "but came to talk with Colleen."

Blitz's momentary feeling of defensiveness quickly gave way to triumph. "Ha!" he exclaimed. "Too late, fluffy-boy. She asked me to meet huh heah."

This was a bit much for Exile. "What? When?"

"Just now. Shag brought me a note from huh and she even used my name!" Blitz reached to produce said missive, only to discover he had dropped it in his haste.

Seeing there was no note, Exile grew skeptical – and smug. "And was he riding pink elephant-ski?"

"You'll see when she gets heah," boasted Blitz, turning to knock on the door. "Hello? Hello pretty she-dog?"

Exile smacked himself in the face. "She has name, Weird Boy."

At last the door opened and Colleen jerked aside to dodge Blitz's next knock. "Oh, hello, Bink. Wait, no, that's not it. What's your name again?"

Both males could do nothing but gape. Colleen stood there dressed in a slimming pine-green one-piece outfit which hugged her figure save for the arms and neck, which were bare. Neither could tell what it looked like from the waist down because she had a white towel around her waist like a sarong.

Turning to Exile, she blinked slightly in surprise but quickly caught herself. "Oh, Exile. So glad you came by."

Blitz and Exile exchanged stunned looks.

' _She said yes to Weird Boy?!'_ thought Exile.

' _He stole my idea!'_ thought Blitz.

' _But when? How?!'_ they both wondered.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Colleen propped a fist on her hip and holding the other out to the side with the palm up. "Have either of you chaps seen Huntie?"

" _Huntie?"_ they both asked, stunned.

"Right," she answered, nodding. "When I heard what a good swimmah he was, I decided to see if he'd give me some pointahs."

Blitz smacked himself in the face. Exile was about to second that to the back of his head, but another voice halted him.

"In exchange for teaching me some of those awesome fight moves," added Hunter, coming up cheerfully red shorts and a white t-shirt. "Oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?"

It was almost more than the gamblers could stand, and neither of them uttered a word.

"Showing you some of those moves," corrected Colleen glibly, slipping past the others and turning toward Hunter. "What I've got, you've gotta be born with."

"We'll see about that," countered the retriever. "You ready?"

She smiled in a way that spoke of more than just readiness for a lesson. "Born ready, Huntie-Wuntie."

' _Huntie-Wuntie?'_ Hunter made a puzzled face, then waved and passed the other two guys. "Alright, let's go."

Colleen smiled at the others before following on. "Sorry, chaps. Bettah luck next time."

This drew a puzzled glance over the shoulder from Hunter as she jogged to catch up with him.

"Better luck next time?" he echoed.

She shrugged casually as both her would-be suitors facepalmed. "Oh, just a little inside joke."

All things considered, the collie reflected, being the only female on the team did have its advantages.

 **Aaand that wraps up our second episode. My thanks to everyone for reading.**

 **For those who might have been wondering, the technique used by Hunter for the high dive is the best recommendation I've been able to dig up currently. As some of my regular readers will know, I always try to describe a reliable solution when outlining a response to an emergency (see the fire-and-forward strategy in the previous chapter). My source for this one is the Worst Case Scenarios Survival Guide series.**

 **The die-hard fans out there, though, are probably more interested in the different tone seen here for Colleen's place in the team and particularly her interaction with Hunter. Rest assured, this kind of tension will not be the norm for the two of them going forward, though I did want to establish something deeper early on for their chemistry than "they're so cute together" (which they are; not gonna lie). Given that this rebooted version will focus a fair amount on them being secret misfits in the world – something akin to _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ meets _X-Men: Evolution_ – Colleen's additional status as the odd one out seemed worth addressing. I'll probably be looking at the others as time goes on, but for now I wanted to focus on these two.**

 **So, what do you guys think? Where do you want to see things go from here? I have a pretty good idea which episode I'll be doing next, but I'm still – as always – open to ideas and speculation.**


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